A 65-year-old man wanted in a 1984 murder case in Delhi has been arrested by the Crime Branch in Uttar Pradesh after remaining on the run for more than four decades, police said on Saturday.
The accused, Natthu alias Natthulal, a resident of Hardoi, was arrested on August 18 while travelling from his village to Farrukhabad. Police said his arrest ended more than 42 years of evading action in the case registered at Janakpuri police station.
Talking about the l said, “The case relates to the murder of one Ashok Kumar, whose body bearing multiple knife injuries was recovered from a park in Vikaspuri during the night of May 23, 1984.” Police said the investigation had found Bhabhuti Prashad, also from Sitapur, involved in the killing. He was arrested, and the knife allegedly used in the crime was recovered, but Natthu had remained untraced for over 40 years.
Police said the Crime Branch later took up the task of locating him and formed a team that spent several months examining old case records and carrying out field verification in Sitapur and Hardoi districts to establish his identity, movements and whereabouts. During verification in the Pali area of Hardoi, officers learnt that Natthu was alive and occasionally visited his native village. On August 17, a person matching his description was seen in the village, after which surveillance was mounted. Acting on intelligence, the team traced him near his village and apprehended him.
According to police, Natthu and Prashad were friends, while the deceased and Prashad belonged to the same village. Police said the murder was allegedly triggered by a dispute after Kumar made sexual overtures towards Prashad’s wife. “On the night of the incident, Natthu and Prashad allegedly consumed liquor together at a park and subsequently killed Kumar in furtherance of their common intention,” Dhaliwal said.
Police said that while on the run, Natthu worked at wholesale vegetable markets at different places in Uttar Pradesh and kept a low profile. He never married and lived alone. Police also said he had been named in an FIR registered in Farrukhabad in 2005. Further investigation is underway, with the arrest closing a search that had continued for more than 42 years.
– Ends
Published By:
India Today Web Desk
Published On:
Aug 23, 2026 00:00 IST
