Ahmedabad, Sep 20 (IANS) The Ahmedabad Crime Branch has arrested a 54-year-old man who had been absconding for 24 years in a 2002 murder case registered in Rajasthan, after tracing him to the Vejalpur area, where he had allegedly been living under a concealed identity and had changed several residences over the years.
The accused, identified as Dinesh Desai, was wanted in connection with the murder of Dalaram Nai in Dungli village under Sadri police station in Rajasthan’s Pali district.
Police said Desai had initially returned to his native Kankrej in Banaskantha district after the murder, but fled after police visited his house and subsequently moved to Ahmedabad.
According to the Crime Branch, a dispute over ancestral property and business between two relatives had led to the murder conspiracy.
The accused and three other persons allegedly travelled from Ahmedabad to Pali in a four-wheeler and intentionally rammed the motorcycle on which Dalaram Nai was travelling near Berra Tilawani at Sharad Dungli.
The victim died in the incident, while the accused allegedly left the car at the spot and fled in an attempt to make the death appear to have been caused by an accident.
A murder case was subsequently registered based on the police investigation and an earlier complaint.
The case was registered at Sadri police station under Sections 302, 120(B), 481, and 308 of the Indian Penal Code.
Crime Branch Inspector A.P. Jebaliya said the unit had been conducting searches for accused wanted in long-pending cases in Gujarat and outside the state.
“During this, our PSI A.B. Desai received information that Dungli village falls within the jurisdiction of Sadri Police Station in Pali district of Rajasthan. A murder had taken place there in 2002, and the accused in that case was residing in Vejalpur, Ahmedabad,” Jebaliya said.
He said the accused initially worked as a labourer at different locations in the Satej area while concealing his identity.
He later moved to Vejalpur, where he moved between about five to six houses before settling with his family at Sagar Samrat Apartment on Radio Mirchi Road.
Police used human sources and technical investigation to gather information about the accused, establish his identity and trace his current location.
Jebaliya said police had arrested three other accused in connection with the case. One of them, Ramesh Nai, was a relative of Desai and was allegedly involved in the property dispute that preceded the murder.
“There was a family dispute between them over property, because of which they decided to commit the murder. When the deceased was travelling on a motorcycle, they hit him from behind with a Tata Sumo, resulting in his death,” he said.
The Crime Branch said further investigation would focus on the places where Desai had stayed during his 24 years on the run and whether anyone had helped him conceal his identity.
“We will now carry out further investigation into where this accused had been hiding and who had helped him. We will hand him over to the Rajasthan Police,” Jebaliya said.
–IANS
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