Murder Accused On Run From Delhi Arrested In Goa

A 26-year-old man has been arrested from Goa for allegedly killing his friend over one-and-a-half years ago in west Delhi's Dwarka, police said on Thursday.

The accused, identified as Alok Verma, was declared a proclaimed offender last year and was carrying a reward of Rs 50,000, they added.

The incident took place on May 30, 2022, when the complainant, Verma, Shivam and Sanjay -- all of whom used to work as security guards -- were consuming alcohol, Special Commissioner of Police (Crime) Ravindra Singh Yadav said.

Verma and Shivam got into a spat argument with Sanjay and as the altercation escalated, the duo attacked the latter with an iron rod, killing him on the spot, Yadav said citing the complainant in whose room the incident took place.

The accused fled the spot and the fourth person of the group, who was an eyewitness to the incident, reported the matter to the police.

"Subsequently, a murder case was registered and a team was formed to nab the accused. Shivam was arrested by the police last year. He disclosed that Verma had a dispute with Sanjay over some minor issue," said the Special CP.

The police declared Verma a proclaimed offender last year and announced a reward of Rs 50,000 after he could not be traced.

The police said various call data records, WhatsApp details, Instagram account details as well as information from people close to the accused were collected, based on which it was learnt that Verma was hiding in Mumbai.

"A team was sent to Mumbai to trace Verma where they came to know that he was working in a cafe after fleeing Delhi, but later left the job and moved to Goa," the Special CP said.

Based on the information, a police team went to Goa and nabbed him on Tuesday. Verma later confessed his involvement in the murder, the police officer added.

To mislead police investigation, Verma used to travel at least 100 kilometres away from his accommodation to speak to his family members and talked to them only over WhatsApp, the police said.

Two mobile phones, one of which was used during the crime, were also recovered from him, they added. 

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