It took 36 yrs to arrest accused

Declared a proclaimed offender in 1975,Singh allegedly murdered his co-worker Surjit in West Delhi’s Uttam Nagar area the following year. The motive,according to the police,was the fact that the two were not on good terms. “The body was recovered from a well with several wounds. Three eyewitnesses were traced and their statements recorded before the court,” said Renganathan.

At the time of the incident,Uttam Nagar was in Central district,but later went to the Southwest. In July 1981,it went to West district. “This was a difficult case. We started the operation afresh and visited Uttam Nagar several times. As the incident was 36 years old,almost everything had changed. The accused had sold his house and was absconding,” Renganathan said. During investigations,the police were informed that Singh had moved to South India and worked as a driver. After 1988,Singh began to pay regular visits to Delhi by train to look for odd jobs,the DCP added. Then he began to work as a painter on a contract basis with Prasar Bharti,Doordarshan,in Khel Gaon.

“This was a major turning point in the case,which led to the arrest on Thursday,” Renganathan said. The accused has three sons — the eldest is 25 and works as a compounder,and the other two are studying.