New Delhi, Aug 17 (IANS) The Delhi Police Crime Branch has arrested a life convict who had been absconding for 26 years in a 31-year-old kidnapping case involving a demand of Rs 1 crore as ransom.
The accused, identified as Amit Yadav, 57, a resident of Dehradun, Uttarakhand, was arrested from Dehradun on the night of August 13, by a team of the Anti-Robbery and Snatching Cell (ARSC), Crime Branch.
According to the police, Yadav was wanted in connection with FIR No. 716/1995, registered on September 13, 1995, under Sections 364A, 368, 394, 506, 323, 201 and 34 of the IPC at Patel Nagar Police Station, Delhi. He had been convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment but was granted interim bail by the Delhi High Court in 2000. He failed to surrender after the expiry of the bail period and remained absconding for the next 26 years.
A reward of Rs 5,000 had been declared for information leading to his arrest in 2000, and he was subsequently declared a proclaimed offender.
According to the Crime Branch, the case relates to the kidnapping of Rishi Sethi for a ransom of Rs 1 crore. On September 12, 1995, at around 7 p.m., Sethi was sitting in his car near the residence of the Director of AIIMS when three to four persons allegedly overpowered and assaulted him before blindfolding and abducting him in his own vehicle.
The victim was taken to an undisclosed location and illegally confined. During the investigation, the kidnappers demanded Rs 1 crore from his family as ransom.
Acting on the directions of the kidnappers, Rs 10 lakh was kept in Room No. 221 of Hotel Mayur in Meerut. On September 16, 1995, Amit Yadav was apprehended by the police in Meerut after allegedly collecting the ransom money. The entire Rs 10 lakh was recovered from his possession.
Based on his disclosure and subsequent investigation, police reached a rented house at R-63, Raj Kunj, Raj Nagar, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. The victim was found confined and chained inside a storeroom at the premises and was safely rescued.
Police also recovered several articles allegedly connected with the crime, including the lock, keys, bandages and other incriminating material.
Yadav was formally arrested in the case on September 17, 1995. On August 25, 1999, he was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment and fined Rs 2.50 lakh.
He subsequently filed Criminal Appeal No. 569/1999 before the Delhi High Court. The court granted him interim bail on January 15, 2000, for one month. However, he failed to surrender after the bail period and went absconding.
On December 13, 2000, the Delhi High Court dismissed his appeal and upheld his conviction and sentence. Following this, a reward of Rs 5,000 was declared for his arrest, and he was declared a proclaimed offender.
The Crime Branch said that despite sustained efforts by various agencies, Yadav managed to evade arrest for nearly 26 years.
Further Intelligence revealed that Yadav had been residing in a hideout in Dehradun. A raiding team led by Inspector Robin Tyagi, comprising ASI Sanjeev Kumar, ASI Sachin Singh, Head Constable Mintu Yadav and Head Constable Sawai Singh of ARSC, Shakarpur, Crime Branch, was constituted to trace him.
During interrogation, Yadav disclosed that after absconding in 2000, he vacated his rented accommodation in Ghaziabad and severed his known links mentioned in Delhi Police records. He subsequently sold his ancestral property in Village Saidpur, Baghpat district, Uttar Pradesh.
To evade arrest, he initially shifted to Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, where he frequently changed his hideouts and whereabouts. In 2001, he moved to Dehradun and allegedly changed his identity details to establish a new life.
According to police, Yadav later entered the construction business and became a builder in Dehradun.
Yadav is a native of Village Saidpur in Baghpat district, Uttar Pradesh. Following his arrest, he was lodged in Tihar Jail. The concerned local police station has also been informed about his arrest for further legal proceedings.
–IANS
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