Man Wanted In Murder Case, Arrested By Mumbai Cops After 31 Years

A man wanted in a murder case has been arrested after 31 years by Mumbai Police from Nalasopara in neighbouring Palghar district, an official said on Saturday.

The accused, identified as Deepak Bhise, is accused of killing one Raju Chikna in 1989 and of a murder bid on Dharmendra Saroj.

Bhise was granted bail in 1992 but he never turned up for a hearing of the case in court. In the year 2003, the court declared him absconding, the official said.

"Whenever police visited Bhise's residential address at Tulaskarwadi in suburban Kandivali, local people would tell us he might have died but we kept looking for him," the official said.

During the search, police managed to get the mobile phone number of Bhise's wife and tracked him down in Nalasopara from where he was arrested on Friday night, he said, adding that Bhise settled in the locality with his family members and used to take contracts for cutting trees.

"The accused, who is 62 years old now, has been arrested. Further investigation is underway," said Kandivali police station sub-inspector Nitin Satam.