Fugitive arrested after 17 years

Surat: After evading the law for nearly 17 years, a murder accused carrying a reward of ₹10,000 has finally been arrested by the Surat City Police Crime Branch (PCB) from Morbi district. The fugitive, identified as Rajesh alias Raju Dahyabhai Amrutia (53), had been on the run since 2008 in connection with a murder registered under Kamrej Police Station in Surat Rural.

In a shocking revelation during interrogation, Amrutia confessed that he never married throughout his life, fearing the police might trace him through his wife’s address. He also admitted to having severed all ties with his family and hometown in Rajkot’s Gondal taluka for over three decades.

According to police records, in 2008, Rajesh, then working as a driver, became acquainted with fellow driver Vipulbhai Laljibhai Solanki. When Vipulbhai sought his help during a trip from Jetpur to Surat with a cargo of garlic and wheat, Rajesh, tempted by the thought of money, fatally attacked him. He stabbed Vipulbhai in the chest and stomach, killing him. However, he fled empty-handed as no money was found.

Since then, Rajesh lived a fugitive life, constantly moving to avoid detection. He worked as a quarry laborer in Chhota Udepur for five years, later shifted to Morbi’s Devaliya village, and eventually found work at a thresher factory in Kadiyana village of Halvad taluka, where he remained for the last eight years.

Despite police efforts, Rajesh managed to stay hidden, leading authorities to classify the case as “Class-A” after years of failed attempts. His parents had also informed police that he had not returned home for nearly 18 years.

Acting on a tip-off, PCB officials recently raided the Hariom Thresher factory in Halvad, Morbi, and arrested him. Surat Rural Police Superintendent had earlier announced a reward for his capture, which has now been fulfilled with his arrest.

Police officials said Rajesh’s case reflects the extreme lengths to which fugitives go to evade arrest—even sacrificing family life and cutting ties with their roots.

Fugitive arrested after six years

Junagadh: Sometimes, the police catch an accused whom the world has almost forgotten. Such is the case of Ashwin Kathi, the prime accused in the 2010 murder of Junagadh corporator Karaman Katara, who was finally arrested last week from Bikaner, Rajasthan, after years of living under false identities.

In 2010, Katara was shot dead in broad daylight near Bhavnath Vadli Chowk. Police investigations revealed that Ashwin and his accomplices believed Katara was behind their earlier arrest under the Narcotics and Arms Act. Ashwin was convicted and spent nearly nine years in jail before escaping on October 24, 2019, while out on interim bail.

Since then, Ashwin had virtually disappeared. Over time, Junagadh Police personnel changed, and with no active leads, his trail went cold. Meanwhile, Ashwin reinvented himself—changing his appearance, identity, and even lifestyle so completely that at one point, even his family could not recognize him.

According to inputs received by the State Monitoring Cell (SMC), Ashwin frequently moved between states, assuming different looks and disguises. In Maharashtra, he lived as a monk in an ashram, even taking over its management after the mahant’s death. Later, he shifted to other states, each time adopting a new persona.

Eventually, SMC tracked him through a combination of human intelligence and technical surveillance, confirming his presence in Bikaner, Rajasthan. A team was dispatched, and after careful monitoring, Ashwin was arrested.

Officers noted the extraordinary difficulty of the operation, as they had to identify and capture a fugitive based on a six-year-old photograph, despite his completely altered appearance. “The person seen in different photos looks like four different individuals, but all were Ashwin under different disguises,” an official said.

Ashwin is now in police custody, bringing to an end a dramatic 13-year manhunt that saw a fugitive craft new lives and identities to stay ahead of the law.