Uttar Pradesh: In 2004, during Karwa Chauth, Ramesh Gupta, a cereal businessman, and his wife were fasting for each other. Gupta closed his shop early that day and hurried home, but he was intercepted by a group of kidnappers. They held him captive and administered chloroform to keep him unconscious. However, the ransom never materialized, and the police intervened, arresting all the kidnappers except for the main perpetrator, Sipahi Lal.

For the next two decades, Lal evaded the police successfully. He relocated to Mainpuri in Uttar Pradesh and adopted the name Gurdayal. Operating a popular chhole bhature cart, he became well-known in the area. Recently, Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Sonu Nain from the crime branch was reviewing the list of absconders and began gathering intelligence on several cases, including the murder of Gupta.

The only lead he could gather was that the suspect’s last location was near the Ramlila grounds in Mainpuri. The officer bought a few kilograms of mangoes and roamed around in a cart pretending to be a seller. Finally, he and his team identified the chhole bhature seller who was famous for his stories about Delhi. The two-decade manhunt came to an end. Lal, now 41 years old, has been arrested and brought back to Delhi.

DCP (crime) Rakesh Pawaria stated that Lal was wanted in connection with a high-profile kidnapping and murder case involving ransom, which was registered at Shalimar Bagh police station. Lal had been evading law enforcement since 2004. The gang not only sedated the victim but also ensured his death using a knife. They repeatedly stabbed the lifeless body before packing it into a gunny bag and disposing of it in a drain in Karala village.

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The crime, according to police, occurred on October 31, 2004. Gupta had left his shop in his Santro car but never reached home.

When all attempts to reach him failed, his family approached the police. Authorities focused on a cash-strapped businessman, Mukesh Vats, who lived in the same neighborhood and had been missing since the incident.

On November 2, 2004, Gupta’s car was discovered by Bahadurgarh police. Subsequently, the police apprehended Mukesh Vats, who led them to the other accomplices, and Gupta’s body was also recovered.

Sipahi Lal, who was an employee of Vats, had conspired with him for quick money. The other accomplices were sentenced to life imprisonment. Lal, meanwhile, started a new life in Uttar Pradesh while evading capture.

However, a team led by ACP Naresh Solanki and Inspector Sushil tracked him down, finally bringing closure to the case. Lal was arrested and the long pursuit of justice for Gupta’s murder came to an end.

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