Man, convicted of kidnapping and killing minor 31 years ago, arrested in UP

In a bizarre incident, the Delhi Police apprehended a 54-year-old individual, locally known as a social activist and YouTuber, in relation to a kidnapping-murder case that occurred 31 years ago, an official stated on Saturday (April 25).

The accused, identified as Salim Khan alias Salim Ahmed and also known as Salim Wastik, was reportedly residing under a fictitious identity till he was caught in Loni in Uttar Pradesh.

Also read: 'If 'didi' had given me money...', ex-help tells police why he killed IRS officer's daughter

Before being netted by a team of the crime branch, he had been avoiding arrest for more than 20 years after jumping an interim bail that was granted in 2000, police said.

Convicted in 1997 for murdering minor

According to police, Khan was convicted in 1997 along with his associate Anil for the kidnapping and murder of a 13-year-old son of a cement businessman in northeast Delhi. He was in his 20s then.

“The boy was abducted in January 1995 while on his way to school, and a ransom of Rs 30,000 was demanded for his release,” a senior police officer said.

It was revealed that the victim's father had received a phone call from the kidnappers, who instructed him to deliver the ransom amount at a bus stand near the Loni flyover. The caller also warned him against informing the police.

However, during the investigation, suspicion fell on Salim Khan, who was then working as a martial arts instructor at the boy's school.

A police team questioned him and, based on his disclosure, recovered the boy's body from a drain near Mustafabad in Delhi, according to the officer. The co-accused, Anil, was later identified and eventually surrendered before a court in February 1995.

Also read: SC orders SIT probe into Ghaziabad minor rape-murder case, flags police lapses

Following trial proceedings, both accused were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment by a sessions court in Delhi. They later challenged the verdict in the Delhi High Court. During the pendency of the appeal, Salim Khan was granted interim bail in November 2000 but failed to surrender thereafter. His conviction was upheld by the high court in 2011.

“After jumping bail, Salim Khan managed to evade law enforcement by frequently changing locations across Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. He reportedly worked as an almirah maker in places such as Karnal and Ambala before settling permanently in Loni around 2010,” the officer said.

Declared self to be dead

To avoid arrest, he allegedly declared himself dead in official records and assumed a new identity as Salim Wastik or Salim Ahmed. Under this identity, he ran a shop dealing in women's garments and accessories and also became active on social media platforms, projecting himself as a social activist and YouTuber.

Also read: Dating app turns trap: 34-year-old man abducted; Rs 7L extorted from him

Police said the breakthrough came after the crime branch officials received a tip-off, which they then used to verify his identity using old photographs and fingerprint records. A team, with assistance from local police in Loni, carried out the operation and arrested him.

(With agency inputs)