Delhi: Man wanted in double murder case arrested after 13 years

Delhi Crime: A man wanted in a double murder case in Delhi was arrested after being on the run for 13 years, police said on Wednesday.

The accused — Lalan Kumar alias Lalanwa (33), a native of Madhepura in Bihar — was the main conspirator behind the murder of a truck driver and his helper in 2012, they said.

“Lalan Kumar carried a bounty of Rs 1 lakh on his arrest. He was declared a proclaimed offender by a Delhi court in December 2012,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Hemant Tiwari said in a statement.

He said Lalan was tracked down and apprehended from Shankarpur area of Madhepura on September 4. He was produced before a local court in Bihar and brought to Delhi on transit remand.

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The DCP said a case was registered at Pul Prahladpur police station on July 31, 2012 after Ram Gupta reported the abduction of his truck, along with its driver Shamim and helper Shera.

“During investigation, Shamim’s body was recovered from Palwal in Haryana and Shera’s from Mathura in Uttar Pradesh. The missing truck was later traced to Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh. Two people, Sunil and Shatrughan, were arrested soon after the incident. They revealed that they, along with Lalan Kumar, had planned to rob the truck. The driver and helper were killed when they resisted the bid,” DCP Tiwari said.

However, Lalan managed to escape and had been absconding ever since.

“A team from Shaheen Bagh police station was behind the accused ever since the crime took place. Our officers travelled more than 20,000 kilometres across Delhi-NCR, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Kerala, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Jharkhand in search of the absconding man. Over 500 call detail records were analysed and nearly 1,000 people were questioned during the manhunt,” Tiwari claimed.

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He said the team developed sources in multiple states, monitored Lalan Kumar’s relatives and associates, and examined every possible lead. Consistent surveillance in his native place Madhepura finally yielded information about his presence there. A raid was carried out in Shankarpur on September 4 and the accused was apprehended.

During interrogation, Kumar admitted that he had been living under different identities across states such as Punjab, Kerala, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Jharkhand since 2012.

“Lalan Kumar avoided mobile phones and social media and frequently changed his appearance to evade arrest. To sustain himself, he worked as a labourer while staying away from his native village for long periods,” said the DCP.