In the end, the law catches up. The city police on Thursday arrested a man, who allegedly killed his wife 15 years ago, and was absconding since. The accused had taken up a new identity and was working in a top multinational company in Bengaluru.
The sensational case, dating back to 2003, had all the makings of a crime thriller. A newly-married woman, an unhappy husband, and a love affair, just to name a few.
Sajni, 26, working with a private bank, was found murdered in her home at Bopal on February 14, just three months after her marriage to Tarun Jinaraj. Tarun claimed before police that robbers had ransacked his house and killed Sajni. However, evidence gathered by police pointed to his involvement in the murder. He was even questioned by police, but he escaped before he could be arrested.
"He had claimed that his wife was killed during a robbery, but investigations showed that nothing had been taken away. At the crime scene, the sniffer dog also repeatedly kept going near Tarun. He was called for questioning, but he vanished," JK Bhatt, special commissioner (crime), Ahmedabad, told reporters.
Investigations showed that Tarun, who had a Master's degree in physical education, had murdered his wife so that he could marry his lover, also a basketball player. However, he later married another woman. The couple has two children.
Bhatt said that after absconding, Tarun assumed the identity of Praveen Bhatla, and started working in IT companies. He worked in Delhi, Pune, and was living in Bengaluru for last 10 years or so. Bengaluru police said that he was working as a senior manager in Oracle.
While Tarun managed to evade police for several years, technical surveillance, covering one lakh phone numbers, helped police track his location to Bengaluru.
"We started physical surveillance in Bengaluru. After confirming his identity, we conducted a raid and caught him. He was brought to Ahmedabad today," Bhatt said.
Bhatt said the case would be investigated by an ACP-level officer to ensure that it results in a conviction. A few days after Sajni was murdered, Tarun's family members, including parents, were arrested following a case of dowry by her parents. However, they were unable to get any leads to him.
The 2003 sensational case had all the makings of a crime thriller. A newly-married woman, an unhappy husband, and a love affair, just to name a few. Sajni, 26, was found murdered in her home at Bopal on Feb 14, just 3 months after her marriage.