New Delhi, Aug 23 : The Delhi Police's Crime Branch has arrested Vinod Sahani, an accused in a 2016 robbery and murder case, who jumped bail in 2020 and had been on the run since then.

Vinod Sahani had been evading arrest for four years after being granted bail during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was finally caught in Muzaffarpur in Bihar after an extensive operation by the police.

The crime took place in the wee hours of June 16, 2016, when Sahani and four of his associates carried out a robbery at a farmhouse in DLF Chattarpur, Delhi.

They forcefully entered the house, held the residents at gunpoint, and stole valuables.

During the robbery, the group also murdered a 39-year-old man who had tried to resist them.

However, as they tried to escape after committing the crime, the police caught all of them red-handed.

A case was registered against them under various Sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including for murder and robbery, as well as under the Arms Act.

All the accused, including Sahani, were arrested and sent to jail.

In June 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Sahani was granted interim bail along with many other criminals.

However, after the bail period ended, he did not return to jail. Instead, he went into hiding, changing his appearance, address, and phone number frequently to avoid being caught by the police.

Because he failed to return, the court declared him a 'Proclaimed Offender' in December 2022.

A team from the Anti-Robbery and Snatching Cell (ARSC) of the Crime Branch was assigned the task of locating and arresting Sahani.

The team, led by Inspector Robin Tyagi and supervised by ACP Arvind Kumar, started gathering information on Sahani's whereabouts.

Head Constable Gaurav Chaudhary received a tip-off that Sahani was hiding on the outskirts of Muzaffarpur, Bihar.

The police team, using both technical surveillance and local Intelligence, tracked Sahani's movements. They also deployed secret informers in the area to keep a watch on him.

After weeks of planning and waiting for the right moment, the police finally received information that Sahani would be travelling on the National Highway-57 near Sitamarhi, Bihar.

The team quickly took up positions on the highway and managed to arrest Sahani.

During interrogation, he confessed that after getting interim bail he decided never to go back to jail and deliberately stayed away from his home and lived in a makeshift shack in Muzaffarpur.

He also worked as a commercial driver to support himself while hiding from the law.

Before the 2016 case, he was also involved in a case under the Arms Act in Delhi.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police, Crime Branch, Amit Goel, praised the team for its dedication and hard work in tracking and arresting Sahani.

'The Delhi Police is committed to ensuring that those who try to escape the law will eventually be brought to justice,' he said.

/IANS