Man absconding for 25 years arrested for murder of roommate

Ajay told police that Sajan and Satish had an argument the previous night over food expenses. The fight escalated and Sajan allegedly slapped Satish and warned of revenge.

Based on Ajay’s statement, an FIR under IPC Section 302 was registered, but Satish could not be traced despite raids in Delhi and searches in his village in Bihar. A court later declared him a proclaimed offender.

Police said that the 2000 murder case came to the notice of Crime Branch officers after years while they were examining case records of unsolved heinous crimes. Soon, a probe began. Head Constable Dhara Singh received a tip-off that the accused was in Bihar, said police. “Inspector Sanjay Kaushik successfully traced the accused to his native village Ramoli in Darbhanga … on December 7, a raid was conducted. Even as people had gathered to help the accused flee, he was held,” said DCP (Crime Branch) Pankaj Kumar.

Satish, now 50, had studied up to Class 9 before moving to Delhi for work. He is married and has four children, police said. During questioning, he told police that he felt humiliated during the fight with Sajan. He said he attacked Sajan with an axe while he was sleeping, in a fit of rage, and fled. Police said he changed his location frequently over the years to evade arrest.

Police said Satish was arrested under preventive sections of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and produced before a court. The Crime Branch said further proceedings are underway to hand him over in the original 2000 murder case, bringing closure to an investigation spanning over two decades.