Ahmedabad Crime Branch detains death-row fugitive for the 1994 hotel murder case

The Ahmedabad Crime Branch has successfully traced and apprehended a high-profile death-row convict who had been missing for over a decade after jumping parole in 2013.

The Ahmedabad Crime Branch has successfully traced and apprehended a high-profile death-row convict who had been missing for over a decade after jumping parole in 2013. The individual was originally convicted for his involvement in a brutal 1994 homicide and robbery case at the Neelam Hotel in Ahmedabad. He had chopped off the head of the victim, who was a hotel guest and carried it in a bag till Adalaj, Gujarat.

The convict, identified as Satish Himmatlal Rupa Relia alias Bhikhu alias Sanjay Thakkar, was the primary accused in Sessions Case No. 56/1995. In April 2000, the Additional City Sessions Court of Ahmedabad sentenced him to death by hanging for murder, robbery, and criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Bombay Police Act. The conviction followed a meticulous investigation into the October 22, 1994, incident, where a textile merchant was lured to a local hotel under the pretext of a discounted trade transaction, robbed of cash and gold jewellery, and subsequently decapitated to prevent identification.

Following his conviction and subsequent incarceration, the individual was later granted temporary release on parole. In 2013, the convict breached his legal conditions, failed to surrender to prison authorities, and went underground. For approximately 13 years, he actively evaded law enforcement agencies by shifting locations and adopting multiple false identities to blend into civilian populations.

Utilising advanced intelligence gathering, tactical surveillance, and rigorous groundwork, the specialised tracking team of the Ahmedabad Crime Branch successfully located the fugitive. In a targeted operation, operational units closed in on his hideout and took him into custody without incident, effectively terminating his 13-year run from the law.

The apprehended convict has been processed and is being remanded back into judicial custody to face the execution of his original sentence, as determined by the courts. (ANI)