Fugitive Contract Killer Arrested After a Decade-Long Hunt

Raju Banarsi, an alleged contract killer, was arrested by Delhi Police after evading capture for over a decade. He was implicated in a 2013 murder motivated by a property dispute. Meticulous investigation and strategic search efforts in dense forest areas led to his capture.

Delhi Police have successfully arrested Raju Banarsi, an alleged contract killer on the run since 2013, officials announced on Saturday. Banarsi, also known as Raju Singh, hails from Palamu in Jharkhand and was captured by the Inter-State Cell of the Crime Branch while hiding in the dense forests near the Chhattisgarh-Jharkhand border.

Police disclosed that Banarsi carried a bounty of Rs 50,000 and had been artfully dodging law enforcement by seeking refuge in remote forest regions. The fugitive was part of a six-member gang hired by the deceased's brother, Rajesh Singh Lamba, for a contract killing spurred by a property dispute. The killers received Rs 10 lakh for the assignation.

On the murder day, Banarsi orchestrated an escape route after his co-assailants shot Jitender Lamba. While others were eventually apprehended, Banarsi remained elusive. Extensive analysis of 10-year-old communication data led police to Banarsi by tracking a suspicious mobile number used briefly near the dense forests he was hiding in, culminating in his arrest while he operated a truck.

(With inputs from agencies.)