Thiruvananthapuram, March 28 – The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a wanted criminal who had been on the run in a case involving the kidnapping and brutal murder of Shyamal Mandal, a student at the College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram, in 2005, an official said on Saturday.
Durga Bahadur Bhat Chetri, also known as Deepak, was tracked down and arrested on Friday, the CBI said in a statement.
It was revealed that after committing the crime, the accused – Durga Bahadur Bhat Chetri alias Deepak – had been impersonating Suraj B. Bhatt, the son of Balbahadur Rambahadur Bhatt. He allegedly concealed his identity, got married, and settled in Nagpur, the agency said.
The investigative agency said that the murder was committed by Durga Bahadur Bhat Chetri along with co-accused Mohammed Ali, both from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Durga Bahadur Bhat Chetri had been on the run since the initial stages of the investigation in 2005.
After a thorough investigation, the CBI filed a chargesheet against both the accused. However, Durga Bahadur Bhat Chetri, a wanted criminal, remained on the run, after which the trial court declared him a wanted criminal.
The trial against co-accused Mohammed Ali has been completed, and he was convicted for the crime in 2022.
The CBI re-registered the case on December 31, 2008, and took up the investigation in compliance with an order of the High Court of Kerala dated December 10, 2008.
The High Court transferred the investigation of the case from the state police to the CBI. The case relates to the disappearance of Shyamal Mandal, whose father had received a ransom call before his body was recovered on October 23, 2005.
Despite filing the chargesheet, Durga Bahadur Bhat Chetri continued to evade arrest and remained on the run for years.
The CBI said that upon producing the accused before the jurisdictional court in Ernakulam, it will seek his custody for further interrogation.