: Almost 13 years after he allegedly robbed and killed an elderly woman at her west Delhi home, law caught up with a civil contractor.
Raju, 33, was arrested from west Delhi’s Dwarka earlier this week.
One accused absconding
His two other accomplices have already been convicted in the case. One of them is serving a life sentence, while the other was awarded two years in prison.
A jeweller who was accused of buying the stolen items was acquitted. A fourth accused continues to remain on the run.
The murder dates back to the early hours of January 26 in 2004. The victim, 65-year-old Indira Devi, lived alone in a DDA flat in west Delhi’s Vikaspuri. Her only daughter was living abroad at the time.
“Raju had been hired by the victim for painting her flat. The accused, in turn, had deputed three men, Dharmender, Arun Kumar and Vikas Yadav, for the work,” said Ravindra Yadav, Joint CP (Crime), under whose supervision Raju was arrested.
Plan hatched
While the painting work went on, the men hatched a conspiracy to rob the victim’s house thinking it held large amounts of cash and jewellery. They tied the woman’s limbs and strangulated her before removing all the jewellery worn by her, said the police.
They then robbed the cash and jewellery from the house. Dharmender and Arun were arrested soon, whereas Raju and Vikas managed to abscond. They were subsequently declared proclaimed offenders.
Mr. Yadav said Raju remained in hiding in Nepal, Bihar and Punjab for the last 12 years before seeking a hideout in Dwarka’s Sector 16 A. He had also changed his name to Pramod Pandit to be able to live with his family, the officer added.
On Monday, the crime branch nabbed him near a metro bridge in the area based on a tip-off. Upon sustained interrogation, he revealed his identity to the police. He was subsequently arrested.
