Delhi: Woman wanted in dowry death case held after 5 years

New Delhi, Sep 7 (PTI) A 50-year-old woman, who had been evading arrest for the last five years in a dowry death case, has been arrested from Gandhi Nagar in east Delhi, police said on Sunday.

The accused, identified as Kaushalya Devi, a native of Badaun in Uttar Pradesh, was declared a proclaimed offender in 2023 in connection with the murder of her sister-in-law Neeraj in the Mandawali area, they said.

The case dates back to 2019 when Neeraj was allegedly strangled to death by her in-laws.

An FIR was registered at the Mandawali Police Station under sections of murder, dowry death, cruelty, and criminal conspiracy.

During the probe, two accused -- Ram Avtar and Brahm Singh -- were arrested. However, Devi went into hiding and managed to evade arrest, an officer said.

"She kept shifting her base between Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh before finally settling in east Delhi. To conceal her identity, she started working in a garment factory in Gandhi Nagar while living in a rented accommodation," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Vikram Singh said.

After she failed to join the probe, the court declared her a proclaimed offender on March 23, 2023.

With her movements being monitored, the call detail record (CDR) analysis indicated her presence in Gandhi Nagar, following which a team was deployed to trace her.

"The team carried out discreet verification and identified her rented residence. On Saturday, she was apprehended from the spot," DCP Singh said.

During questioning, Devi allegedly disclosed that she had been working as a labourer at a garment unit in Gyan Mohalla for the past several months, the police noted, adding that she is illiterate and has no previous criminal involvement.

Meanwhile, further investigation is underway to establish her role in the conspiracy. PTI BM MPL MPL