Ahmedabad, May 25 (IANS) A man sentenced to death in the 1994 murder of an Ahmedabad-based cloth merchant has been arrested by the city Crime Branch after remaining absconding for more than 13 years following a parole jump, officials said on Monday.

The accused, identified as Satish Reliya, alias Bhikhu and alias Sanjay Thakkar, had been on the run since 2013 after failing to surrender before jail authorities at the end of his parole period.

Crime Branch officials said he repeatedly changed his place of residence and used multiple fake identities to evade arrest for more than a decade.

According to officials, Reliya was the main accused in Sessions Case No. 56 of 1995 linked to the murder and robbery of cloth merchant Arvind Shah at Neelam Hotel in Ahmedabad on October 22, 1994.

Following investigation and trial, the Additional City Sessions Court in Ahmedabad sentenced him to death in April 2000 for offences including murder, robbery and criminal conspiracy under provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Bombay Police Act.

Police said Shah had allegedly been called to the hotel on the pretext of a cloth business deal involving goods at discounted rates.

Investigators alleged that the accused robbed him of cash and gold jewellery before killing him inside the hotel room. “The victim’s head was severed from the body in an attempt to conceal his identity,” the Crime Branch said.

Officials further stated that the severed head was placed in a bag and carried up to Adalaj after the murder.

After his conviction, Reliya was lodged in jail and was later granted temporary release on parole. However, in 2013, he allegedly violated the conditions of parole, failed to return to prison and went underground.

“For nearly 13 years, he managed to evade law enforcement agencies by constantly changing locations and adopting multiple fake identities to blend in among ordinary citizens,” officials said.

Officials further noted that a specialised tracking team was formed to trace the fugitive convict. The team relied on intelligence gathering, strategic surveillance and extensive ground-level operations before locating him.

“Using advanced intelligence gathering, strategic surveillance and sustained groundwork, the team successfully traced the absconding convict,” the Crime Branch stated.

Police said officers later surrounded the accused’s hideout during a targeted operation and took him into custody without any untoward incident, ending what officials described as his 13-year period on the run.

Crime Branch officials said legal formalities following the arrest had been completed, and the convict was being sent back to judicial custody for execution of the original sentence awarded by the court.

–IANS

mys/uk