'Crushed man's head with stones': How murder accused evaded arrest for 24 years

A man named Firoj has been arrested after evading capture for 24 years.A man named Firoj has been arrested after evading capture for 24 years.

NEW DELHI: A 24-year-long manhunt, which began with a highly decomposed body being found in a DDA forest, ended with the accused being arrested from Gurgaon by Delhi Police's Crime Branch.

The accused, Firoj, had been absconding for over two decades after murdering a man to avenge an old family-related vendetta.On Feb 18, 2002, the decomposed body of 35-year-old Kalaam Ansari was found, covered with stones, inside the DDA forest near Tughlaqabad Fort. His head had been completely crushed. The deceased was identified as a resident of West Champaran, Bihar.During the investigation, police found Ansari had come to Delhi in 2001 for employment along with the murder accused, Firoj.

One year later, on Feb 15, 2002, Firoj took Ansari to the forest near Tughlaqabad and crushed his head with stones, a senior police officer said.As per police, Ansari’s sister and Firoj’s brother, Saahbjan, were married and lived in the deceased’s village in West Champaran. Saahbjan had a dispute with his wife, who had refused to accompany him outside her village. Following this, Saahbjan committed suicide in front of the deceased’s house.

Firoj suspected Ansari’s family had driven his brother to kill himself and had allegedly expressed his intention to take revenge.“One year after the duo came to Delhi in search of a job, Firoj took Ansari to the forest near Tughlaqabad and crushed his head with stones in 2002. He then returned to Bihar and started giving misleading information regarding the deceased’s whereabouts. When the murder came to light three days later, Firoj absconded and remained untraceable for nearly 24 years,” said DCP Harsh Indora.Considering the prolonged evasion of the accused and the heinous crime committed, Crime Branch undertook the task of tracing and arresting Firoj. Leads were developed by analysing old records, current data and sustained field efforts. After multiple visits to Bihar, 30 raids at suspected locations and a painstaking reconstruction of the accused’s trail conducted over two months, the police finally arrested Firoj from a ready-made garment factory in IMT Manesar, Gurgaon.Firoj, who is now 48 years old, had been working in the factory as a tailor for the past two years. After the murder, he had cut off ties with his native village and managed to conceal his identity for decades, and eventually shifted to Gurgaon, where he had been working at different places. He is married and has four children.Further investigation by the police is in progress.