Arrest After Four Decades
Delhi Police has arrested a 65-year-old man wanted in connection with a 1984 murder case, ending a search that spanned more than four decades. The accused, identified as Natthu alias Natthulal, a resident of Hardoi in Uttar Pradesh, was taken into custody on August 18 while travelling from his village to Farrukhabad, according to police.
The case dates back to the night of May 22-23, 1984, when the body of Ashok Kumar, a resident of Sitapur, was found in a park in West Delhi's Vikaspuri. Kumar had suffered multiple stab wounds, as reported by multiple sources.
The Crime and Initial Investigation
According to police, Kumar and Bhabhuti Prasad (also spelled Bhabhuti Prashad) belonged to the same village in Sitapur. Prasad was arrested in connection with the murder, and the knife allegedly used in the crime was recovered. However, his friend Natthu managed to escape and remained wanted for over 40 years.
The murder was allegedly triggered by a dispute after Kumar made advances towards Prasad's wife, with some reports describing these as 'illicit advances' or 'sexual overtures'. Special Commissioner of Police (Crime) HGS Dhaliwal said personal enmity was the motive.
Dhaliwal was quoted as saying: "On the night of the incident, Natthu and Prashad allegedly consumed liquor together at a park and subsequently killed Kumar in furtherance of their common intention." The case was registered at Janakpuri police station.
Renewed Investigation and Arrest
Around three months before the arrest, a Crime Branch team led by Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Satender Mohan and Inspector Sunil Kumar Kalakhande relaunched the probe, as reported by Hindustan Times. The team went to Sitapur and Hardoi and found that the accused occasionally visited his village.
India Today reported that the Crime Branch formed a team that spent months examining old case records and carrying out field verification in Sitapur and Hardoi districts. During verification in the Pali area of Hardoi, officers learnt that Natthu was alive and occasionally visited his native village.
On August 17, a person matching his description was seen in the village, after which surveillance was mounted. Acting on intelligence, the team traced him near his village and apprehended him on August 18.
Life on the Run
After the murder, Natthu allegedly changed his identity and kept a low profile. According to investigators, he worked in wholesale vegetable markets at different locations across Uttar Pradesh, apparently attempting to avoid police attention. India Today reported that Natthu never married and lived alone.
NewsX reported that Natthu was named in an FIR registered in Farrukhabad in 2005 and is allegedly involved in another kidnapping case in Uttar Pradesh. Hindustan Times reported that Natthu was a government employee posted in the social welfare department in Uttar Pradesh at the time of the murder, a detail not mentioned by other outlets.
The arrest was described by NewsX as a 'major breakthrough' in a case that had remained unsolved for more than four decades. India Today noted that the arrest "revives scrutiny of one of the capital's oldest fugitive cases."