New Delhi:
A woman sentenced to life imprisonment for kidnapping and murdering a 10-year-old boy in Delhi in 1990 allegedly changed her name, married under an assumed identity and spent more than two decades evading the law after she was granted parole in 2006, an official said on Wednesday.
According to Delhi Police’s Crime Branch, she was traced to Haridwar following sustained efforts and apprehended.
“Sadhana alias Pooja, was arrested on September 27 after remaining untraced since January 18, 2006, when she failed to surrender following the expiry of her extended parole,” a senior police officer said.
The woman was convicted in an FIR registered at Adarsh Nagar police station under sections 302 (murder), 364 (kidnapping) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the erstwhile Indian Penal Code for the kidnapping and murder of 10-year-old Deepak alias Babloo.
She was sentenced to life imprisonment, and her conviction was upheld by the appellate court, police said.
The officer told PTI that the case dates back to January 6, 1990, when Deepak went missing from Azadpur. Witnesses Jagdish Chand and Vasdev had seen Sadhana holding the child’s hand while crossing GT Road.
“Sadhana and co-accused Raj Kumar were later apprehended from Jahangir Puri. The two were living together as husband and wife without being married, a relationship opposed by Deepak’s father Balwant Ram and his family,” the officer said.
An earlier dispute allegedly resulted in resentment and a decision to take revenge, following which Deepak was kidnapped and murdered. During trial, Sadhana was found to be the last person seen with the child. She was also held guilty of playing an active role in the conspiracy, according to police.
She had been lodged in jail since January 9, 1990, and was released on parole on December 27, 2005. Her parole was later extended by three weeks on medical grounds. However, she failed to return to jail on January 18, 2006, and disappeared.
Police said for more than 20 years, a team of the Crime Branch kept pursuing leads to locate her. Teams examined information from human sources, old associates and family links while trying to establish her whereabouts.
“A specific lead eventually indicated that she was living in Haridwar under an assumed identity. The information was discreetly verified and her whereabouts confirmed. The team comprising sub-inspector Amit Kumar and assistant sub-inspector Suresh Gupta, then proceeded to Haridwar,” the officer said.
Ground verification and surveillance established that the woman was Sadhana alias Pooja, the life convict wanted since 2006. She was apprehended on September 27, ending her more than two-decade-long run from the reach of law.
Police said Sadhana had deliberately changed her name to Pooja after jumping parole to conceal her identity and avoid detection. Sadhana worked at a private company in Noida, where she met Keshav, a carpenter. She subsequently started living with him and later moved to Mukundpur in Delhi.
The two stayed in Mukundpur around five years before shifting to Haridwar. There, Sadhana married Keshav in a temple and used his name as her husband’s name in documents, allegedly helping her conceal her real identity.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
