Delhi Police Crime Branch Arrests Accused 42 Years After Vikaspuri Murder
The Delhi Police Crime Branch has arrested a 65-year-old man who had been evading arrest for over four decades in connection with a 1984 murder at District Park in Vikaspuri, West Delhi.
The accused, identified as Natthu, a resident of Hardoi in Uttar Pradesh, was apprehended following an operation by the Crime Branch after being on the run for more than 42 years.
According to Special Commissioner of Police (Crime) HGS Dhaliwal, the case traces back to May 23, 1984, when the body of a man with multiple knife injuries was recovered from the District Park in Vikaspuri. The victim was subsequently identified as Ashok Kumar, a resident of Sitapur in Uttar Pradesh.
During the initial investigation in 1984, the role of a co-accused named Bhabhuti Prashad, who was also from Sitapur, came to light. Prashad was arrested during the early stages of the probe, and the weapon allegedly used in the crime—a knife—was recovered from his possession. However, his associate Natthu managed to evade the police and remained absconding.
A renewed push to track down the long-evading fugitive was initiated under Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Aditya Gautam, who formed a special team headed by Inspector Sunil Kumar Kalkhande.
The Crime Branch team reviewed the old case files, examining historical records and developing new leads through field verification. The team spent several months conducting ground operations across Sitapur and Hardoi in Uttar Pradesh to establish Natthu's identity, trace his movements, and pinpoint his exact whereabouts.
The tracking efforts culminated on August 18, when the police team traced Natthu near his native village in Uttar Pradesh and apprehended him while he was travelling towards Farrukhabad.
