Proclaimed offender held after 12 yrs
New Delhi: The Delhi Police’s Crime Branch has arrested a 43-year-old proclaimed offender in the murder case registered at the Paschim Vihar Police Station in 2006.
An anonymous source tipped the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police about the criminal.
The accused has been identified as Sonu alias Kuldeep (43) resident of Budh Vihar, Delhi.
According to the police reports, in 2006, a man was shot dead in Paschim Vihar by Sonu and his two associates.
Though initially arrested and granted bail, Sonu failed to appear for his court hearings, resulting in him being declared a proclaimed offender in 2012. Since then, he has been evading arrest, moving frequently to avoid detection.
The Cyber Cell Crime Branch had been actively pursuing absconding criminals based on instructions from senior officers.
In June 2024, Head Constables Akshay Solanki and Vikas Dhankhar received a tip-off that Sonu was still in hiding and was wanted for the 2006 Paschim Vihar murder case.
The officers, using a combination of technical surveillance and on-the-ground investigations, began tracking Sonu’s movements.
After tracing a virtual international number used by the accused, the investigation led the team to Mumbai, where they spent a week developing further leads. It became clear that Sonu was not using mobile phones to evade detection.
However, secret information later indicated that he was hiding in Budh Vihar, Delhi. Acting swiftly, the Cyber Cell team, comprising several officers including SI Rakesh Malik, SI Pramod Kumar, ASI Sanjay, and others, surrounded the area and apprehended Sonu.
He was arrested under Section 35 (1)(d) BNSS and produced before the court.
During interrogation, Sonu revealed his involvement in the 2006 murder. At the time, he was working in a private company in Gurugram, where he met his accomplice, Tinku, also known as Vikas.
Tinku confided that his wife was having an affair with a man named Jitender. In retaliation, Tinku, along with Sonu and another associate, Santosh Yadav, procured firearms from Bihar and fatally shot Jitender.
Sonu was arrested in 2006 and later granted bail in 2009. However, during the trial, he absconded, leading to the 2012 proclamation against him.
Sonu, born in Sonipat, Haryana, passed his 10th-grade exams through IGNOU and began working in Gurugram. Following his release on bail, he moved to Mumbai, where he started an import-export business, all while continuing to evade the authorities.
