New Delhi: Delhi Police's Special Cell team has arrested an Afghan national, who was escaping police custody since 2017 while being tried for a drug case.
The accused, identified as Ahmad Jawid, was living in disguise as a tourist in Delhi when officers arrested him from District Park in Saket on Saturday night.
In September 2017, while in police custody in Tihar Jail, Jawid claimed of having backache and was being transferred to AIIMS along with some other prisoners who needed medical attention.
As police were helping some prisoners onto stretchers from the police van, Jawid saw his window of opportunity and made a quick getaway.
Jawid was initially caught with 4 kg heroin in 2014 by Special Cell officers in the capital city.
According to police, Jawid had completely changed his appearance after his escape and travelled to various parts of the country disguising himself as a tourist.
He also attempted to cross the border into Bangladesh but came to Delhi after his efforts failed.
While developing information in the case, police received a generic input about an Afghan national wearing a cap and a wig around Hauz Rani, Saket, and Lajpat Nagar areas. Police finally received a tip-off that placed the accused at District Park in Saket and officers eventually nabbed Jawid based on the physical description of his cap and wig.
Special Cell DCP Pramod Khushwah said that the arresting officers must be commended for their work in apprehending Jawid as they were working with stray and generic inputs about his sightings in Delhi.
Jawid has a long record of involvement with Afghani drug cartel run by Ghaffur, who also runs an arms and ammunitions factory in Pakistan.
He had convinced Jawid to smuggle heroin, cocaine and other contraband into India and was paid handsomely in return.
Jawid was arrested while he was trying to acquire an Afghan passport under a false name. Police said further investigations in the case are continuing.