A 60-year-old man on the run for more than two decades after allegedly bludgeoning his wife to death with a brick in Delhi was arrested in Lucknow, police said on Monday.
Veerpal alias Maiju had been evading arrest since 2004 and was declared a Proclaimed Offender in 2005.
He had assumed a new identity as Vijay alias Ramdayal and started living in Lucknow, an officer said. While in hiding, Veerpal also remarried and had three daughters from his second wife.
"On September 22, 2004, police received information that a tenant had vacated a room after attacking his wife and child," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Aditya Gautam said.
A police team that responded to the call found a woman lying in a pool of blood with her mouth gagged. Broken bangles, a blood-stained brick, and a broken tooth lay near her body, Gautam said.
It was alleged that Veerpal was unhappy with the marriage and was not getting along with his wife.
One of his children, who was also found injured that day, identified his father and uncle Suresh alias Saiju as the attackers, the officer said.
"While co-accused Suresh Kumar was arrested, tried, and sentenced to life imprisonment in 2007, Veerpal managed to flee and remained untraceable for over 21 years," the DCP said.
According to police, after fleeing, Veerpal sold off his ancestral property in Farrukhabad and severed all ties with his village.
He worked as a daily wager and had three daughters with his new wife.
The DCP said Veerpal confessed to his crime.
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