A murder accused managed to join the police force in Uttarakhand and remained posted at different places in the state, hoodwinking the authorities for 19 years.  A case under Section 420 of the IPC has been registered at the Pantnagar police station against Mukesh Kumar, who works as a constable in the Uttarakhand Police.

Mukesh is said to have been involved in a murder case at Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh in 1997.  However, he allegedly applied for recruitment in the state police four years after the crime in 2001, Pantnagar SHO Ashok Kumar said. Mukesh appears to have been recruited in the force as he changed his original address to Sehdora village of Kichcha in Uttarakhand.

He was currently posted in Almora, the SHO said, adding that appropriate action would be taken after the investigation was complete.

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