15 years on the run: Delhi Police arrest 72-year-old proclaimed offender in extortion case

New Delhi, Aug 22 (IANS) In a major breakthrough against long-evading fugitives, the Special Cell of the Delhi Police on Saturday arrested a proclaimed offender who had been absconding for nearly 15 years in connection with an extortion case, officials said on Saturday.

The accused, identified as 72-year-old Hari Singh Shekhawat, a resident of Rajasthan’s Jaipur, was arrested by a team of the South-Western Range (SWR) of the Special Cell following an extensive inter-state search spanning Delhi, Haryana, Gujarat and Rajasthan.

The case dates back to 2008, when Shekhawat allegedly attempted to extort money from a prominent multinational garment company while he was employed with the firm. Following the incident, a case was registered against him at the Special Cell police station under Sections 384, 389, 506 and 511 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

According to officials, Shekhawat subsequently failed to appear before the court on multiple occasions and continued to evade the legal proceedings. Due to his persistent non-appearance, the court declared him a Proclaimed Offender on April 2, 2016.

In view of the recent efforts to track down absconding criminals and fugitives involved in sensational crimes, a team of the SWR/Special Cell was constituted to pursue such offenders and prevent them from committing further crimes.

The team was led by Inspector Sandeep Yadav and Inspector Neeraj Kumar under the supervision of ACP Puran Chandra Pant. The officers deployed extensive human surveillance and conducted sustained efforts to establish the whereabouts of criminals who had been evading arrest for prolonged periods.

“Consequent to the rigorous groundwork for more than one month, it was established that initially, he had shifted to Gujarat to avoid legal proceedings in this case and later on, shifted to Rajasthan,” officials said.

Investigators found that Shekhawat had initially moved to Gujarat in an attempt to avoid the legal proceedings arising from the extortion case. He subsequently shifted to Rajasthan, where he remained under the radar and continued to evade arrest for several years.

On August 13, the Special Cell team received credible information that the absconder was hiding in Jaipur, Rajasthan, in an attempt to avoid being arrested in the long-pending case.

Following the information, a dedicated raiding team was immediately formed and sent to Jaipur.

The police team carried out an intensive search operation in Jaipur and eventually confirmed that the accused was residing inside a residential society in the city. After verifying his presence and establishing his identity, the team apprehended Shekhawat from the residential premises.

The accused was subsequently arrested in accordance with the provisions of law, officials said, bringing to an end his prolonged period of evasion from the authorities.

Police officials said the arrest was the result of sustained surveillance, intelligence gathering and coordinated efforts across multiple states to locate the accused, who had repeatedly changed his place of residence to remain away from the legal process.

Hari Singh Shekhawat is a graduate of XLRI and has worked with several renowned multinational corporations in senior positions during his professional career.

According to officials, he was working with a prominent garment multinational company when he allegedly attempted to extort money from the firm in 2008.

–IANS

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