UP Rape Convict Who Jumped Parole Nabbed In Delhi After 33 Years

Raghunandan Singh's (56) relatives in his native town of Hathras were startled to find that he was alive since they and his fellow villagers assumed he was dead.

New Delhi: Police said on Tuesday that a rape convict from Uttar Pradesh's Hathras district who had jumped parole was nabbed after 33 years in Delhi, where he was living under a false identity, news agency PTI reported.

Raghunandan Singh's (56) relatives in his native town of Hathras were startled to find that he was alive since they and his fellow villagers assumed he was dead.

According to Hathras Superintendent of Police Vineet Jaiswal, Singh, who was sentenced in 1987, has been residing in Delhi with his wife for over three decades and works at a clothing retail business.

"He was convicted in a rape case but granted parole while serving the punishment. He had jumped parole and was absconding for the last 33 years. He has been arrested now," Jaiswal was quoted by PTI in its report.

The rape charge was filed against him in 1986 at the Hathras Junction Police Station in the district. According to the officer, he was convicted of the crime by a local court the next year and sentenced to life in prison.

According to reports, the individual appealed to the Allahabad High Court in 1989, following which he was freed on parole.

However, after escaping, he sold all of his immovable and moveable possessions in the community and fled. He subsequently travelled to Delhi under a new fake name, married, and settled down, according to Jaiswal.

He had been residing in the Burari region of Delhi for over three decades, and the high court had also issued arrest warrants for him, according to Jaiswal.

"I had announced a reward of Rs 25,000 on his arrest and formed multiple teams, led by Circle Officer of the Sikandra Rao area, to trace him," the senior officer said.

The Special Operations Group was also called in, and surveillance was utilised to track down the accused, who was being kept at Sant Nagar in Burari, he added.

According to officials, Singh's native village residents and relatives believed he had died because there was no information about him after he vanished in 1989.

The authorities were informed by the village chiefs that Singh had died during follow-ups by the local police in accordance with court orders, but the news of his arrest stunned the locals and his relatives, according to the officials.

Officials from the Hathras Junction Authorities Station are conducting legal processes in the matter, according to police.

(With PTI Inputs)