Delhi Police Arrest 65-Year-Old Man Wanted in 1984 Vikaspuri Murder

Delhi Police's Crime Branch has arrested a 65-year-old man who had been evading law enforcement for 42 years in connection with a 1984 murder case in west Delhi's Vikaspuri.

The accused, identified as Natthu alias Natthulal, a resident of Hardoi in Uttar Pradesh, was apprehended following a tip-off on August 18 while travelling from his village to Farrukhabad. Police stated that Natthulal had spent over four decades working as a vegetable seller while frequently moving locations across Uttar Pradesh to avoid arrest.

According to police, the incident dates back to May 1984, when Natthulal and his associate, Bhabhuti Prasad, allegedly killed Ashok Kumar, a resident of Sitapur, by stabbing him multiple times in the Vikaspuri district park. The victim's body was discovered in the park in the early hours of May 23, 1984.

Special Commissioner of Police (Crime) HGS Dhaliwal stated that the motive behind the killing was personal enmity. Prasad had accused Kumar of making illicit advances towards his wife. Natthulal's interrogation revealed that both he and Prasad consumed liquor in the park before attacking Kumar. At the time of the crime, Natthulal was employed with the social welfare department of the Uttar Pradesh government.

Prasad was arrested shortly after the 1984 murder, and investigators recovered the knife used in the crime from his possession. While Prasad's interrogation implicated Natthulal, the latter fled Delhi and managed to avoid capture despite multiple search efforts over the years.

The investigation was revived roughly three months ago by a Crime Branch team led by Assistant Commissioner of Police Satender Mohan and Inspector Sunil Kumar Kalakhande. Officers visited Sitapur and Hardoi after learning that the suspect occasionally visited his native village. Upon receiving intelligence regarding his presence in Hardoi, the police laid a trap and took him into custody.