UP: Life-term convict evades arrest for 37 years after jumping bail; arrested from MP shrine

Shahjahanpur (UP), Dec 12 (PTI) A man, sentenced to life imprisonment in an 1986 acid attack case, and absconding ever since he was released on bail around 37 years ago, has been arrested from Madhya Pradesh while living under the guise of a 'sadhu', police said on Friday.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Rajesh Dwivedi told PTI that the convict, Rajesh alias Raju, was traced and arrested from the Gayatri Shaktipith in Shivpuri district, 37 years after he jumped bail.

The case dates back to August 1986, when complainants Gangadeen (a cashier) and Om Prakash Rastogi were travelling by rickshaw to their jewellery shop in Tilhar police station area in Uttar Pradesh's Shahjahanpur district, carrying a bottle of acid used for cleaning ornaments.

Rajesh intercepted them and beat them up. During the assault, he snatched the acid bottle and threw it on both men, leaving them seriously injured, the SP said.

A case was registered against Rajesh under erstwhile IPC sections 326 (causing grievous hurt using corrosive substance) and 307 (attempt to murder). He was later convicted on May 30, 1988, and sentenced to life imprisonment along with a seven-year term for attempt to murder.

He was granted bail by the high court after conviction but never appeared before the trial court again, prompting a warrant for his arrest, Dwivedi said.

For decades, the convict evaded police by frequently shifting between religious sites across neighbouring districts, staying at each place for two to four months. Eventually he settled at the Gayatri Shaktipith in Shivpuri, Madhya Pradesh, where he lived disguised as a monk.

Dwivedi said the arrest became possible due to the use of advanced specialised surveillance tools, including fingerprint records stored on police portals such as NAFIS (National Automated Fingerprint Identification System).

The convict has been sent to judicial custody, the SP added. PTI COR KIS ARB ARB