New Delhi, Aug 29 (IANS) A convicted rapist and murderer, who had been on the run for over four years after jumping parole, has been apprehended by the Delhi Police’s Crime Branch.

The accused, identified as Sanjay alias Sujoy, 40, was arrested in Patna, Bihar, following a three-month-long operation. Sanjay was convicted in 2010 for the brutal rape and murder of a six-year-old girl in Kapashera, Delhi, in 2007.

The prosecution’s case revealed a horrific story: Sanjay, a neighbour of the victim, lured her with the promise of a samosa. The innocent child, unaware of his malicious intent, accompanied him to a vacant plot where he committed the heinous crimes. To conceal his acts, he brutally murdered the girl.

In 2010, the Dwarka Additional Sessions Court sentenced Sanjay to life imprisonment, a conviction upheld by the Delhi High Court in 2014. After serving part of his sentence, he was granted parole by the Delhi High Court on June 15, 2021.

However, upon the completion of his parole period, he failed to surrender and vanished. A dedicated team from the Anti-Robbery and Specialised Crimes (ARSC) unit of the Crime Branch was tasked with tracking down parole jumpers involved in heinous crimes.

Acting on a tip, the team, led by Inspectors Mangesh Tyagi and Robin Tyagi, began a meticulous investigation. Through advanced technical surveillance and human Intelligence, they traced the fugitive to Patna, Bihar. To evade law enforcement, Sanjay had changed his name to ‘Sujoy’ and frequently moved between different areas of Bihar.

During his time on the run, he continued his criminal behaviour, even facing a new case in Patna for assaulting women with the intent to outrage their modesty.

He also married twice while in hiding and has one child from one wife and another wife is pregnant.

“The accused came to Delhi in 2003 to work in an export company. He studied up to 5th class in his native village. At present, he has no other source of income, and he is totally dependent on the income received from his ancestral agricultural fields,” said DCP Sanjeev Kumar Yadav.

The successful apprehension of Sanjay from Patna is a testament to the perseverance and tactical efficiency of the Delhi Police.

The operation, which involved over ten police personnel, demonstrates the commitment of law enforcement to ensure that those who commit such horrific crimes are brought to justice, even if it takes years.

–IANS

sas/rad