Man absconding for 2 years in Delhi murder case held in Gurugram

The Delhi Police has arrested a 27-year-old man who was absconding for two years in connection with a murder case in southeast Delhi’s Sarita Vihar, an official said on Thursday.

The accused, Somnath Patro, was wanted for the killing of 39-year-old Ardhendu Mandal in September 2023. He was declared a proclaimed offender by a Delhi court after he went underground soon after the crime, he said.

Mandal, a resident of Aali Vihar, was stabbed to death by a group of men on September 15, 2023, leading to the registration of an FIR.

“While five accused were apprehended earlier, Somnath managed to evade arrest,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Hemant Tiwari said.

He further said that Mandal was attacked with knives by the accused, leaving him critically injured. He later succumbed during treatment. Somnath, one of the prime accused in the case, deliberately avoided arrest by frequently changing his locations and identities.

Teams had been working to trace him for the past two years and finally managed to zero in on his location in Gurugram. On Wednesday, the team raided a farm area near Bhondsi in Gurugram and apprehended the accused. During interrogation, Somnath disclosed that he had been working as a delivery boy in Gurugram to avoid suspicion.

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“He was frequently changing mobile phones and numbers to escape detection,” the DCP said.

Originally from Sarita Vihar, Somnath has a previous criminal record. Further investigation into the matter is underway.