Proclaimed offender arrested in Delhi after he began plotting another assault

A man who allegedly blamed his wife for the deaths of their two children and repeatedly attacked her with a knife over the years was arrested by the Delhi Police after he allegedly began plotting another assault, police said on Sunday.

Sajid Ali, a resident of Bindapur, was declared a proclaimed offender earlier this month in an attempt-to-murder case registered at Dabri police station in 2021.

He was also wanted in another case involving grievous hurt and was evading trial in a separate criminal case, police said.

“Sajid had allegedly attacked his wife multiple times with the intention of killing her. Investigators described him as a “maniac” and a “jilted husband”, citing his alleged obsessive hostility towards his wife, whom he blamed for the deaths of their two children shortly after birth,” a senior police officer said.

Police said Sajid married in 2015 and the couple suffered the loss of two children who died soon after being born.

Police claimed the incidents deeply affected him and that he gradually developed resentment towards his wife, holding her responsible for the tragedies. He later became addicted to drugs and alcohol and frequently demanded money from her to sustain his addiction.

In 2021, he allegedly attacked his wife with a knife on three occasions, leading to his arrest in an attempt-to-murder case. After being released from jail in November 2024, he allegedly attacked her again in 2025 and went into hiding to avoid arrest.

A team of the Crime Branch tracked him down and his location was traced to the Ikram Nagar area in Ghaziabad. Acting on the information, the team laid a trap near Labour Chowk on Saturday. Sajid was spotted while allegedly coming to meet an associate. He attempted to flee after noticing the police team but was apprehended following a brief chase.

Police said Sajid had been declared a proclaimed offender by a local court in the 2021 attempt-to-murder case. Non-bailable warrants had also been issued against him in another case.