Delhi: Rape convict absconding for four years arrested

A man convicted of raping a four-year-old girl in 2016 and absconding during parole in 2020 was arrested in Alipur area of Delhi following a sustained police operation, officials said on Tuesday.

The accused, Shambhu Yadav (38), was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2018 under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. He had been on the run since April 2020, when he failed to return from an eight-week emergency parole granted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the police, Yadav was apprehended after a 48-hour-long operation launched on the basis of a tip-off about his possible movement near Gaya, Bihar. He was eventually traced to a factory in Tikri Khurd, Alipur, where he had taken up employment.

“Yadav had been evading arrest for over four years. He avoided using mobile phones and kept no contact with his family to escape detection. He moved frequently across Bihar and West Bengal, working as a labourer or security guard,” said Harsh Indora, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime).

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In 2016, Yadav had lured a minor girl from his neighbourhood into his rented accommodation and sexually assaulted her. He was arrested the same day and later convicted under Section 6 of the POCSO Act and relevant IPC provisions.

Following his parole on April 18, 2020, he travelled to his native village in Bihar but did not return to prison. Jail authorities subsequently declared a reward of Rs 5,000 for information leading to his arrest.

Yadav has now been taken into custody and will be sent back to serve his sentence, police said.

(With inputs from PTI)