Extradition process initiated for Chakma murder suspect who fled to Nepal: Uttarakhand Police

Dehradun, Jan 15 (PTI) The process for the extradition of Yagyaraj Awasthi, the main accused in the murder of Tripura student Angel Chakma in Dehradun, has been initiated following suspicions that he has fled to Nepal.

Police on Thursday said that Awasthi — who allegedly fled the scene after the incident in December last year — is suspected to be in Nepal, and therefore, the extradition process has been started.

Awasthi is a resident of Kanchanpur district in Nepal, they said.

Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police Ajay Singh also confirmed this development in the Angel Chakma murder case. "The legal process for this has been initiated," he said.

Chakma (24), an MBA final year student at a private university here, was allegedly attacked and seriously injured with knives and brass knuckles by six youths in the Selakui area on December 9. Chakma died on December 26 after being hospitalised for 17 days.

Following the incident, the police arrested five of the accused — Suraj Khwas (22), Avinash Negi (25), Sumit (25) and two other minors — while the sixth and main accused, Yagyaraj Awasthi, has been absconding since then.

The police have also announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh for the arrest of the absconding accused, while a Special Investigation Team (SIT) is investigating the case.

Outraged by Chakma's murder, his family and students studying in Dehradun, especially those from the Northeast, have described the incident as a result of "racial abuse," while the police have clarified that no such evidence has been found in the investigation so far. PTI DPT AMJ AMJ