A criminal who had managed to evade capture for over ten years was caught in a honey trap on Thursday set by the Delhi Police, where a male constable pretended to be a woman on social media, officials said.
The constable created a fake Instagram account to lure 45-year-old Bunty, who was wanted in connection with 20 cases involving theft, illegal arms possession, and bootlegging across various police stations in Delhi, according to the officials.
"The accused was declared as a proclaimed offender (PO) by a city court on June 26, 2013, in a case registered against him in Tilak Nagar Police Station," Deputy Commissioner of Police (north) Manoj Kumar Meena said, PTI reported.
ALSO READ: Man With Criminal Record Shot At, Hacked To Death With Machetes In Pune. CCTV Footage Surfaces
Despite several attempts to capture him, Bunty remained elusive, with the DCP labelling him a hardened criminal.
Earlier this year, the team received a tip-off that Bunty was hiding in Indira Vikas Colony. Upon investigating, they discovered that the criminal was using an Instagram account, the DCP also said. "Later, the team laid many traps, and efforts were made to trace the accused, but the offender remained at large. Subsequently, the team member, a head-constable Omparkash Dagar came up with an innovative idea," DCP added.
Criminal Agreed To Meet At Punjabi Bagh Metro Station
DCP Meena stated that the constable created a fake Instagram handle with a girl's name. "Dagar started chatting with Bunty and he was eager to befriend the 'fake girl'," the DCP said.
Eventually, Bunty agreed to meet the supposed girl at Punjabi Bagh Metro Station. "On June 7, the meeting was fixed. The team was ready and laid a strategic trap with the help of technical surveillance. As the accused reached the spot, he was successfully apprehended from Punjabi Bagh Metro Station," the police officer underscored.
The DCP noted that Bunty had frequently kept changing his address and phone numbers to evade arrest.