Mumbai: A murder accused who was on the run for the last 34 years was finally arrested by the crime branch unit (Zone I) of the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) police on Monday with the help of a digital database of crimes and criminals across the country.
The incident dating back to 2, December 1990 took place during a party at Mira Apartments in Kashimira. The prime accused-Steve Marwin David and his five accomplices including-Sanjay, Jehangir Shaikh, Santosh, Pascol, and Kishore had stabbed Sudhakar Amanna alias Gabriel (22) to death. The murder was the fallout of a previous enmity between Steve and the deceased.
While Steve and four others were arrested a few days after the crime, Jehangir Shaikh managed to evade arrest for 34 years, despite several attempts by the erstwhile Thane (rural) police.
As a part of the Operation All Out recently launched by the MBVV police to track suspected trouble mongers and nab fugitives ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the crime branch unit led by police inspector- Aviraj Kurhade under the guidance of DCP (Crime)-Avinash Ambure had started re-investigating unsolved cases.
While scanning the digital database, police personnel- Pushpendra Thapa came across a case of drug consumption which had been registered at the Vile Parle police station in 2014.
The identity and the last known address of the fugitive matched with the details of the accused who was arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, and was currently out on bail.
The unit immediately laid a trap and apprehended Jehangir Shaikh from Chimatpada- a sprawling slum cluster located on the Andheri-Kurla Road in Mumbai at around 7 pm on Monday. The custody of the accused has been handed over to the Kashimira police station for further investigations.
