On the run for four years, 76-year-old life convict in POCSO case lands in Delhi Police net

New Delhi, Dec 10 (PTI) The Delhi Police has arrested a 76-year-old life convict who was on the run for more than four years after jumping parole in a POCSO case, officials said on Wednesday.

Police said the accused, identified as Wahid Khan, a native of Agra, had evaded arrest since September 1, 2021, after he did not return to jail following the expiry of his parole period.

Khan was convicted in 2018 for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl, who was a friend of his daughter. The case was registered at Mayur Vihar police station under sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012. After trial, he was sentenced to life imprisonment, they said.

They added that Khan was granted a two-week parole on September 1, 2021, but did not surrender, prompting authorities to launch a search. Khan frequently changed his hideouts in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh to avoid arrest.

Police said a crime branch team had been tracking his movements and on December 9, acting on a tip-off, arrested him from his hideout in Delhi. During interrogation, he admitted that he deliberately avoided returning to jail after being released on parole. PTI BM AKY