Captured After Two Decades: The Arrest of Wanted Criminal Suresh Sharma

Uttarakhand Special Task Force captures long-wanted criminal Suresh Sharma, accused of murdering DGC Balkrishna Bhatt in 1999. Sharma, who had evaded capture by altering his identity, was apprehended in Jharkhand. He had a bounty of Rs 2 lakh and was wanted for decades. Investigation into additional crimes continues.

In a significant breakthrough, the Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF) has successfully apprehended a long-wanted criminal, Suresh Sharma, accused of the 1999 murder of District Government Counsel (DGC) Balkrishna Bhatt over a property dispute. According to senior police officials, Sharma was captured in Jharkhand.

Navneet Bhullar, Senior Superintendent of Police for the STF, disclosed that Sharma had been on the run since 1999 and became a primary target when the task force was established in 2005. 'Suresh Sharma had a bounty of Rs 2 lakh on him, and catching him was one of our top priorities,' Bhullar explained.

Suresh Sharma had been living under the alias Manoj Joshi in West Bengal, after manipulating his identity documents. His arrest was made possible through the use of a 24-year-old photograph and fingerprint analysis. The police are currently interrogating him regarding potential involvement in other criminal activities in West Bengal.

(With inputs from agencies.)