Panchkula: Fugitive couple held for '09 double murder

Panchkula, July 17

In a major breakthrough, the Ambala unit of the special task force (STF), Haryana, has arrested two prime accused in the murder case of Panchkula-based financier and his four-year-old son over 13 years ago. The two were carrying a reward of Rs 1 lakh.

The arrested couple have been identified as Raju and Shilpa, natives of Badopal village in Fatehabad district. They were residing in AKS Colony near Ashiana Department of Zirakpur at the time of the incident.

The STF arrested the two from Bilochi Mardana area of Indore, Madhya Pradesh, where they were residing under false identities — Ravi Pawar and Sunita Pawar. They had also prepared fake Aadhaar cards.

DSP, STF Ambala unit, Aman Kumar said as the two along with their daughter kept shifting places and changing their names, making it hard to track them.

He said the two didn’t contact their parents, relatives or friends over the past 13 years. Their facial profiles had also changed during this period.

After the crime, the accused shifted to Shirdi, Maharashtra, and lived there for about a year, before moving to Hyderabad, where they stayed for three to four years. The couple finally shifted to Indore, where they had been living for the past eight to nine years, he said. The two were brought from Indore by the STF and handed over to the Sector 14 police station.

DSP Kumar said financier Vinod Mittal had given them money for opening a saloon and when he demanded his money back, the two and their four accomplices allegedly stabbed him and dumped his body into a river near Rajpura. Realising that Mittal’s son Yashan had witnessed the crime, the accused threw him alive into the river.

The case dates back to February 14, 2009, when Vinod and his son went missing. The police had registered a case on February 16, 2009, on the complaint of victim’s wife Sushma Mittal.

He said the police had already arrested six persons in this case and of whom four, including a juvenile, were convicted by the court and sentenced life. Two others, who had allegedly given shelter to the accused, were acquitted by the court.

The DSP said the accused would be produced in court to seek their police remand. — TNS

Kept changing places, changed IDs

• While on the run, Raju and Shilpa kept changing places and lived under false IDs. They didn’t even contact family or friends during this period
• On Feb 14, 2009, financier Vinod Mittal and his son Yashan were reported missing. An FIR was lodged on Feb 16, 2009, on the complaint of Mittal’s wife
• Mittal had lent money to couple for saloon. On demanding money back, the two along with four others stabbed him and dumped his body into a river near Rajpura
• Realising that Mittal’s son had witnessed the crime, the accused threw him alive into the river

4 convicted in case

• 6 arrested
• 4 get life term
• 2 acquitted