Palghar Murder Accused, On The Run For 24 Years, Arrested In UP

Police have arrested a man who was on the run for the last 24 years after being accused in a case of murder in Maharashtra's Palghar district, officials said on Sunday.

The 50-year-old accused, identified as Mamu alias Chhote alias Babuon Omprakash Shrisahuni Diwakar, was arrested from Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh on April 27, Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Madan Ballal said, terming it as a "textbook" case for them.

On January 14, 2001, a man, identified as Moharram Ali Mohammad Ibrahim Ali (46), was stabbed in the stomach with a sharp weapon in Virar area and he later succumbed to his injuries.

The Virar police subsequently registered a case against Harun Ali Mustaqin Ali Syed and Mamu under Indian Penal Code section 302 (murder), Ballal said.

The motive behind the crime was a dispute over unpaid fares. The victim used to regularly travel in the autorickshaws of the accused from a nearby hardware shop, but allegedly did not pay the fare, he said.

The matter escalated, leading to the stabbing incident, Ballal said.

While Syed was initially arrested, Mamu managed to flee and remained untraceable for 24 years.

"The accused disappeared and the case went cold for over two decades. Tracking someone after 24 years is no easy task, but we never gave up," Ballal said, adding the police started reinvestigating the case earlier this year.

"We began identifying autorickshaw drivers from that time and cross-checking with the Regional Transport Office (RTO) records. We then conducted a technical analysis of phone numbers obtained through the accused's son and nephew. That's how we zeroed-in on his location to Paharpur, Kanpur," he said.

A special police team was sent to UP and after several days of surveillance, the accused was arrested from near a petrol pump on Hamidpur Road with the help of the Kanpur police, the official said.

"It was a textbook case of crime detection and inter-state coordination," Ballal said.

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