Delhi: Absconding accused in Shalimar Bagh abduction and murder nabbed from UP after 20 years

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A man wanted by the Delhi Police Crime Branch for the kidnapping and killing of a businessman in Shalimar Bagh twenty years ago was being held from Mainpuri, Uttar Pradesh. The culprit changed his name and operated a food stand in Mainpuri, according to the Crime Branch, which also provided details of the incidents that led to his arrest. According to the authorities, all of the co-accused in this case have already been found guilty and are serving life sentences.

After 20 years from Mainpuri, a team from Southern Range, Malviya Nagar, Crime Branch, managed to locate and apprehend the offender, named as Sipahi Lal alias Gurdayal (41). Since the 2004 incident at the Shalimar Bagh police station, he has been evading capture. The businessman, identified as Ramesh Gupta, was kidnapped for ransom by the accused and four convicted accomplices, according to the police. They killed him before calling for the payment, they added.

Sharing grisly details of the crime, the police said the accused and his accomplices stabbed the trader multiple times to ensure he was dead and dumped his body in a drain in the Karala village area. "On October 31, 2004, the day of Karwa Chauth, a cereal businessman named Ramesh Chand Gupta, a resident of Shakarpur, left his house in his car but did not turn back home. The family members made several calls on his mobile phone but there was no response. On this, his brother Jagdish Kumar lodged a case of abduction with the local Shalimar Bagh police station. The family also raised suspicion against a fruit and vegetable businessman Mukesh Vats, who was residing in the same area," the Delhi Police Crime Branch said in an official statement.

Following an inquiry, the trader's vehicle was discovered at the CIA Bahadurgarh police station on November 2, 2004, but he remained unaccounted for. One of the suspects, Mukesh Vats, was located and questioned by the police. After going to tears, he admitted to being involved in the crime. He revealed that he had slain Ramesh Gupta after kidnapping him in his automobile together with his Sipahi Lal, Shareef Khan, Kamlesh, and Rajesh. In Azadpur Mandi, Mukesh Vats was a vegetable merchant; Shareef Khan, Kamlesh, Rajesh, and Sipahi Lal were his workers.

On the day of Karwa Chauth, Ramesh Chand Gupta was kidnapped for ransom by the accused and his guilty accomplices, according to Delhi Police, who pretended to be meeting. They imprisoned him in a room at Karala village in Delhi. He was sprayed to render him unconscious. They disabled him once again with the spray when he turned around. Then they used a knife to kill him. Police said that after making sure he was dead, they placed his lifeless body in a gunny bag and disposed of it from Mukesh Vats's car in a sewer close to Karala.

Mukesh Vats, Shareef Khan and Kamlesh were arrested from the Karala village area and the mortal remains of Ramesh Chand Gupta were recovered based on leads provided by the accused trio from the drain, police said, adding that the knife and the spray bottle used in the crime were also recovered from the same area. The car belonging to Mukesh Vats was also impounded as the probe gathered pace.

Accused Sipahi Lal and Rajesh could not be arrested and were declared proclaimed offenders by the Court. After the investigation, a chargesheet against Mukesh Vats, Shareef Khan and Kamlesh was filed. After the trial, the Ld. The court convicted and awarded life imprisonment to the arrested accused in the case. The sleuths learned that Sipahi Lal, who had managed to evade capture, was hiding somewhere in Mainpuri, police said, adding that they also gathered that he had changed his name and was running a food stall at the Ramleela Ground, Mainpuri.

To track his movement and activities, ASI Sonu Nain started selling mangoes at the Ramleela Ground while staying in touch with his informer for more leads. After two days, he came to know that Sipahi Lal was posing himself to be Gurdayal Chhole Wala, police said. On being grilled, he initially claimed he was Gurudayal and tried to hoodwink the sleuths. However, he eventually broke down and disclosed his real name and identity, the police informed, adding that he was arrested under appropriate sections of the law.

(With Inputs from ANI)