Cops nab tea vendor in 25-yr-old murder case

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police’s Crime Branch has arrested a tea vendor in a 25-year-old murder case, registered at the Uttam Nagar Police Station.

An anonymous source tipped the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police about the criminal. The accused has been identified as Ajay Kumar Dahiya (59) resident of Village Birdhana, Jhajjar, Haryana.

According to the police, the accused had evaded arrest for over two decades by living under a false identity in Kala Amb, Haryana. The case, registered under an FIR at Uttam Nagar Police Station, involved the disappearance and murder of Ashwani Sethi, whose wife, Saroj, was also implicated but remains untraced.

The murder case dates back to July 1, 2000, when Saroj, the daughter-in-law of Smt. Krishna Sethi, disappeared after visiting her parents.

Saroj’s mother-in-law suspected her of an illicit affair with Dahiya and accused the duo of killing Ashwani Sethi, whose body was later discovered in Birdhana, Haryana, bearing gunshot wounds.

Both Saroj and Dahiya absconded and were declared Proclaimed Offenders in 2008.

A team led by Inspector Sanjay Kaushik tracked fugitive Ajay Kumar Dahiya to Kala Amb using technical surveillance and the ‘Sahayak’ app. Dahiya confessed to the 2000 murder of Ashwani Sethi and will face trial.