New Delhi: The Delhi Crime Branch has arrested a robber named Raj Kumar, also known as Raju, who was convicted to 20 years in prison for a gruesome case involving murder, rape, and robbery in Bhajanpura, New Delhi. In this incident, he killed five members of the same family and raped a woman during the robbery. Raj Kumar had been on the run since March 22, 2011.
The police station in Bhajanpura received a report of a murder in Yamuna Vihar on July 6, 1996. When officers arrived, they discovered the bodies of five individuals: one male, two females, and two children. An FIR was filed based on the testimony of Suresh Sharma, the husband of one of the victims.
During the investigation, six suspects, including Raj Kumar (also known as Raju), were arrested. They admitted to entering the house with the intent to rob, believing a substantial amount of cash was kept there. When the family members resisted, the assailants killed them, raped one woman, stole valuables, and fled the scene. As a result, additional charges under sections 376/392/397/120B/34 of the IPC were filed against them.
In the trial, four of the accused were convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison, while two others, Sunil and Jai Kishan, died during their sentence.
Following instructions from senior officials, the Crime Branch launched an operation to locate parole violators. While examining a list of parole jumpers, they identified Raj Kumar, a resident of Hapur, Uttar Pradesh. He had been granted 40 days of parole on March 22, 2011, due to his mother’s illness but failed to return after the parole period ended.
Informants were tasked with gathering intelligence about him, leading to extensive manual surveillance in Hapur, Uttar Pradesh, and Rudrapur, Uttarakhand. The police learned that he was living in Multan Nagar, Meerut, and working various labor jobs. To gather more information, the police posed as Amazon delivery personnel in Hapur. Eventually, a tip-off confirmed Raj Kumar’s location, allowing the raiding party to successfully apprehend him in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. He has since been returned to jail authorities.
In interrogation, Raj Kumar revealed that he was originally from Hapur and that from 1990 to 1996, he frequently traveled to Delhi’s Sadar Bazar for work, where he was involved in bag manufacturing. In 1996, his accomplice Rajender informed him that a relative in Bhajanpura had recently sold a property for Rs 22 lakhs and was keeping the cash at home. Together with Rajender, Sunil, and Jai Kishan, they hatched a plan to rob the relative.
Upon entering the house, they killed the relative but found no money. They then raped one of the women present (the sister-in-law of the deceased) and brutally murdered the entire family, including two children. Ultimately, they killed five individuals in total, stole valuables, and fled the scene.
A case was registered against them under sections 302/376/392/120B/34 of the IPC at PS Bhajanpura. Raj Kumar was eventually convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison. He has now been returned to jail authorities.
