Man nabbed in sexual assault, robbery case

NEW DELHI: Delhi Police’s Crime Branch has arrested a proclaimed offender wanted in a sexual assault and robbery case registered at the Mukherjee Nagar Police Station.

The accused was identified as Bhanu Pratap (55) resident of New Mumbai, Maharashtra.

According to the Police, the case originated on December 2, 2019, when a woman reported that she had boarded an auto-rickshaw (TSR) from Kashmiri Gate in Delhi.

During the journey, the auto driver, Bhanu Pratap, allegedly stopped the vehicle, exited, and approached the passenger side.

The accused then proceeded to sexually assault the woman and rob her of her belongings, including a mobile phone and Rs 1000 in cash.

The victim managed to escape and sought help from a passerby, who subsequently called the police.

A case was immediately registered at Mukherjee Nagar Police Station, and the accused was initially arrested.

However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Bhanu Pratap was granted interim bail but failed to surrender after the bail period ended. Since then, he had been absconding, leading the court to declare him a proclaimed offender.

The breakthrough in the case came when Head Constable Sachin Parmar received a tip-off that Bhanu Pratap was hiding in the Ulwe area of Navi Mumbai.

Given the severity of the crime, a specialized team from the Northern Range-I (NR-I) Crime Branch was quickly assembled.

The team, led by Inspectors Ajay Kumar and Pukhraj and supervised by ACP Vivek Tyagi, included Sub-Inspectors Anuj Chhikara, Khusboo Yadav, Sitaram Meena, and Head Constables Sachin Parmar, Vikesh Kadiyan, Kapil, Satyavart, Mukesh, and Women Head Constable Kusum. Using human intelligence and technical surveillance, they tracked Bhanu Pratap, who was evading capture by frequently changing locations. The Crime Branch successfully arrested him in Navi Mumbai.