Fugitive in 24-yr-old Rajasthan murder case nabbed in Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad Crime Branch has arrested 54-year-old Dineshbhai Desai, a fugitive on the run for 24 years. He was involved in a 2002 murder in Rajasthan, which was disguised as a road accident, over a property and business dispute.

Ending a two-decade-long manhunt, the Ahmedabad City Crime Branch has apprehended a high-reward fugitive involved in a cold-blooded murder disguised as a road accident in Rajasthan nearly 24 years ago. The arrested accused, identified as 54-year-old Dineshbhai Amthabhai Arjanbhai Desai, a native of Ucharpi village in Banaskantha district, currently working as a broker and residing at Sagar Samrat Apartment, Vejalpur, Ahmedabad, had been absconding since 2002.

The 2002 Murder Plot

According to police sources, the murder stemmed from a bitter rivalry over ancestral property and business between two brothers in Dungli village, located under the jurisdiction of the Sadri Police Station in Rajasthan's Pali district. As part of a criminal conspiracy to eliminate a man named Delaram Nai and frame his death as an accidental mishap, Desai teamed up with co-conspirators Kishansingh Rajput, Ramjibhai Rabari, Khimaram alias Ramesh Nai, Hirachand Nai, and others.

The gang travelled to Pali in a vehicle. Upon spotting Delaram Nai riding his motorcycle near Dungli Bera Tilawa on the Pali border, they intentionally rammed their SUV into his motorcycle, killing him on the spot. To cover their tracks, the perpetrators abandoned the Tata Sumo at the scene and fled, hoping local authorities would treat the fatality as a hit-and-run accident.

Investigation and Manhunt

However, follow-up police investigations and an existing complaint exposed the collision as a planned hit. Sadri Police subsequently registered a case of murder and criminal conspiracy under C.R. No. 135/2002 (IPC Sections 302, 120(B), 481, and 308).

To evade law enforcement, Desai spent 24 years continuously shifting locations, concealing his identity, and working daily-wage labour jobs to stay under the radar. Recognising his high profile, Rajasthan authorities had declared a reward for information leading to his arrest.

Apprehension in Ahmedabad

Acting on precise intelligence and rigorous identity verification, a team from the Ahmedabad City Crime Branch tracked Desai down to his Vejalpur residence. The arrested accused has been identified as Dineshbhai, son of Amthabhai Arjanbhai Desai, aged 54. A native of Village Ucharpi, Post Chekhla, Taluka Kankrej in Gujarat's Banaskantha district, he is currently residing at Flat No. 001, Sagar Samrat Apartment, Radio Mirchi Road, Vejalpur, Ahmedabad, and works as a broker.

He is wanted in connection with a 2002 case registered at Sadri Police Station in Rajasthan's Pali district — C.R. No. 135/2002 — under IPC Sections 302 for murder, 120(B) for criminal conspiracy, 481 for using a false mark, and 308 for attempt to commit culpable homicide. Legal formalities are currently underway to hand Desai over to the Sadri Police Station in Rajasthan for further prosecution. (ANI)

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