Sabarmati: Tarun Jinaraj, accused of allegedly murdering his wife Sajni on Valentine’s Day in 2003, has once again gone missing without a trace after being granted a 15-day temporary release on August 4, 2023. He had managed to evade capture for 15 years before he was finally apprehended in an operation in Bengaluru in 2018.

It has been reported that Tarun Jinaraj, an undertrial lodged in Sabarmati Jail and facing charges under IPC 302 (murder) at Sarkhej police station, was granted bail but has failed to return to the prison. The report, sent to the registrar of the Gujarat High Court on August 23, states: “Accused Jinaraj was released on interim bail on August 4, 2023, with oral instructions to return to the jail by noon on August 19, 2023. However, as of the present moment, the accused has not complied with this order from the honourable court (Gujarat High Court) and is now in hiding.”

It has been learned that a report has been forwarded to various law enforcement entities, including the Registrar of the Sessions Court in Mirzapur, the Jail Inspector General, CID (Crime), Ahmedabad Superintendent of Police, Special Operations Group (SOG), the City Crime Branch, as well as inspectors from Ranip and Sarkhej police stations.

A Deputy Superintendent of Police from the jail wrote the report, urgently requesting other law enforcement agencies to locate Jinaraj. The disappearance of Jinaraj is a setback for the city’s police, who pursued him for nearly fifteen years before finally apprehending him at the Bengaluru office of Oracle, one of the world’s largest software companies, in 2008.

Before his capture, Jinaraj was living under the identity of his friend P. Bhateley, securing a job at a corporation, marrying Nisha, and even having two children. Authorities acknowledge that Jinaraj was an expert at deception, as he effectively erased all evidence of his connection to Gujarat during his 15-year flight.

The police officer involved in the case said that a seemingly innocent call to his mother had led to his detention. “Catching him a second time will not be simple,” the officer continued.

After his arrest, Jinaraj made multiple attempts to secure his release on bail. He initially approached the session court, seeking temporary bail to address his mother’s financial crisis. Annamma Chacko resides in an old-age home in Mirzapur, Ahmedabad. Jinaraj claimed that someone had defrauded his mother of Rs 24 lakh, and he needed to assist her. However, in April, the lower court rejected his plea after the prosecution opposed it, expressing concerns that Jinaraj might flee to avoid trial. Subsequently, he appealed to the High Court, which also denied his request in May.

Jinaraj made another application to the High Court, this time seeking bail to access his provident fund money, for which he argued he needed to go to Bengaluru. On July 20, the High Court granted him a two-week temporary bail, starting from the date of his release from jail.

Upon his release on conditional bail on August 4, 2023, Jinaraj was required to inform Karnataka police officials about his whereabouts and report to the nearest police station twice a week during his bail period. However, he took advantage of this opportunity to disappear once again. Meanwhile, a local court issued a non-bailable warrant against Jinaraj on Monday. DeshGujarat

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