Crime Branch nabs parole jumper convicted of rape and cheating

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police’s Crime Branch has arrested a parole jumper who was convicted of rape and cheating in 2017.

An anonymous source tipped the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police about the criminal.

The accused was identified as Rahul Bhardwaj resident of Bishrak, Noida, Uttar Pradesh.

According to the Police, the case began when the complainant, a government employee and divorcee, reported being deceived by Bhardwaj.

She met him through a matrimonial site, Jeewanshathi.com, where he falsely claimed to work for the Indian Railways. The accused Bhardwaj persuaded her to pay Rs 6 lakh for a promised job in the railways and subsequently coerced her into a physical relationship under the guise of marriage.

Bhardwaj was arrested and sentenced on August 31, 2020, to 10 years. He was granted interim bail on December 14, 2020, to care for his ailing mother but absconded soon after.

Given the upcoming General Elections in 2024, the Cyber Cell intensified efforts to track down parole jumpers in serious cases.

The team gathered intelligence on Bhardwaj’s potential hideouts across Delhi-NCR, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. Despite his frequent changes in appearance and location, information developed by HC Anuj Kumar indicated that Bhardwaj might be hiding in Bishrak, Noida, Uttar Pradesh.

With assistance from local informants, the team surveilled the Paramount Society in Bishrak, Noida, where Bhardwaj’s sister resided.

After two days of close monitoring, Bhardwaj was traced to a nearby flat. A raiding team of the Crime Branch successfully apprehended him.

During interrogation, Bhardwaj admitted to residing in various locations, including Agra and Dehradun, to evade arrest.

He revealed that he had cheated the complainant out of Rs 6 lakh and established a physical relationship with her under false pretenses.

Bhardwaj had been working in a call center in Dehradun before returning to Noida six months ago.