The accused, Balister alias Ramesh Chandra, a native of Muradpur village.
LUCKNOW: Nearly four decades after securing bail from the Allahabad high court and slipping into obscurity, a 65-year-old robbery accused carrying a reward of Rs 15,000 finally ran out of places to hide. Kanpur Dehat police traced him after a painstaking two-month hunt during which officers posed as village labourers and searched more than 20 possible hideouts. A case under Section 394 of the IPC was registered against him in 1986 for allegedly assaulting a person along with an accomplice and robbing him of Rs 1,500, according to police. The police team spent nearly two months pursuing leads, checking more than 20 possible hideouts and visiting distant relatives.
The accused was initially arrested and spent around one-and-a-half years in jail before securing bail from the Allahabad high court, said Praveen Kumar, SHO, Mangalpur. Kumar said the breakthrough came after police intensified their efforts following the court’s intervention and directions to trace the long-absconding accused. The accused, Balister alias Ramesh Chandra, a native of Muradpur village under Mangalpur police station, was arrested from Auraiya town late Wednesday. To avoid raising suspicion, personnel even posed as ordinary village labourers, mingling with locals and making discreet inquiries about the fugitive’s whereabouts. During the investigation, police learnt that the accused occasionally visited relatives but changed locations whenever he sensed police activity. His movements were largely confined to distant family connections, making the search particularly challenging. After tracking his movements through these relatives, the team finally located him at a relative’s residence in Auraiya. When police personnel approached him, he reportedly attempted to retreat, but his age made it difficult for him to escape.