Delhi Police arrest 46-year-old murder convict in Mumbai, three years after jumping parole

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A 46-year-old murder convict, who had jumped parole during the Covid-19 pandemic, was apprehended in Mumbai on Saturday, the Delhi Police said.

According to news agency PTI, Ajay Kumar Tripathi was found working as a delivery executive for a food app in the Ghatkopar area of Mumbai.

Tripathi had been serving a life sentence for the kidnapping and murder of a boy from Bhajanpura, a neighbourhood in northeast Delhi.

"Tripathi was convicted of kidnapping and murdering a child in 2000 in Delhi. He was serving a life sentence when he was granted parole on July 23, 2021, during the Covid-19 pandemic," a police officer said on Sunday.

When his parole ended on September 19 the same year, Tripathi failed to return, PTI reported. The police later discovered that he had assumed the alias Akshay Kumar and moved to Mumbai with his three-year-old son.

"This was not his first instance of absconding. In 2010, he also jumped parole and evaded arrest for five years," the officer added.

To track him down this time, police gathered information from his previous addresses, jail records, and visitor details, eventually tracing him to Mumbai, PTI reported.

"A team was dispatched to Mumbai, where they verified local delivery personnel and traced Tripathi to Gautam Nagar in Chembur. He was arrested on December 28," the officer said.

Tripathi, who hails from Agra, holds a degree and had worked as a storekeeper when he kidnapped the boy.

Two wanted criminals arrested after shootout in Delhi

The Delhi Police on Sunday arrested two wanted criminals, linked to around 80 cases, including armed robbery, following a shootout in West Delhi, officers said.

Acting on a tip-off about the suspects' location in Madipur, multiple police teams were deployed to cover all possible escape routes, Deputy Commissioner of Police (West), Vichitra Veer, stated.

"The suspects were spotted around 4.30 am. When the police asked them to stop, they opened fire, hitting the bulletproof jackets of some officers, although no one was injured," the DCP said.

The two criminals sustained gunshot wounds to their legs when police returned fire, PTI reported. They are currently receiving treatment at a nearby hospital, the officer added.

The accused have been identified as Rohit Kapoor, a known criminal from Dwarka, and Rinku, a history-sheeter from Khyala in West Delhi, the DCP said.

In recent days, several incidents of armed robbery were reported at various police stations in the West district, where the criminals targeted people, stealing gold ornaments at gunpoint or with a dagger, typically in the early morning or late-night hours, the police said.

An analysis of more than 300 CCTV footage helped the police in identifying the criminals' physical appearance and the vehicles they used, PTI reported.

Rinku is linked to 48 cases, including armed robbery, murder, attempt to murder, and violations under the Arms Act while Kapoor has been involved in more than 40 criminal cases, the DCP said.

"Together, they were involved in criminal cases in Delhi and Madhya Pradesh," the officer said, adding that their preferred targets were often single women or elderly men near bus stands and parks.

(With PTI inputs)