18-year manhunt ends: Delhi Police arrest man accused in 2006 Kalkaji murder case

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police’s Crime Branch has arrested Ram Bhale, a proclaimed offender wanted in connection with a 2006 murder-robbery case, following a tip-off from an anonymous source. Bhale had evaded capture for 18 years after the March 2006 murder of 60-year-old Gulshan Kapoor in Kalkaji, Delhi, during which jewellery, cash, and valuables were stolen.

Bhale was declared a proclaimed offender in 2006 after investigations linked him to the crime through information from a former servant. While his accomplices were arrested and convicted, Bhale remained elusive, continuously changing locations and avoiding detection using fake SIM cards and misleading police.

A dedicated team, led by Inspector Pawan Kumar and ACP Naresh Kumar, tracked Bhale for months. They finally apprehended him working in a rice field in Obearai village, Gonda, after a two-day surveillance operation. Bhale’s arrest marks a significant breakthrough in the case, bringing justice to Kapoor’s family after nearly two decades.