NEW DELHI: Delhi Police's crime branch arrested Vishnuswaroop Shahi, the alleged mastermind behind the murder of an elderly doctor in southeast Delhi's Jangpura Extension in May. Shahi, who had a reward of Rs 50,000 on him, was arrested near the Indo-Nepal border on Saturday.
According to DCP (crime) Sanjay Sain, Shahi and his associates killed Dr Yogesh Chander Paul, a 63-year-old general physician, during a robbery at his home on May 10. "The accused ransacked the house and committed the brutal murder. The doctor's body was found in the kitchen. Three accused, including the housemaid and two others, Akash Kumar and Himanshu Joshi, were arrested, but Shahi and his four associates remained at large," the DCP said.
A team, comprising inspector Mahipal and others, was constituted to nab Shahi. After a 15-day analysis of his mobile records, the team discovered that Shahi had changed eight mobile sets and nearly 20 SIMs. The team travelled 1,600 km in 24 hours, from Himachal Pradesh to Dehradun, and finally arrested Shahi at Banbasa.
During interrogation, Shahi disclosed that the domestic helper, also from Nepal, provided information about the doctor's wealth. Shahi and his accomplice Bhim Jora planned the robbery and involved Jora's wife to avoid suspicion. They entered the house, committed the murder and fled to Nepal with looted jewellery and cash. Shahi received 40,000 and 13 grams of gold from the booty.
The investigation revealed a complex web of criminal activities spanning multiple states and international borders. Shahi, a resident of Nepal, came to India in 2002 and worked as a labourer in Himachal Pradesh. He was arrested twice in NDPS Act cases in 2018 and 2020 but jumped bail and was declared a proclaimed offender. Shahi used multiple aliases and fake IDs to evade capture. He also frequently changed his location between India and Nepal.
Police recovered four mobile phones and fake IDs from Shahi. Cops found documents with the names Shakti Sai, Satya Sai, Surya Prakash Shahi, Gagan Oli and Krishna Shahi on the accused. He was carrying the fictional identity of ‘Gagan Oli' when he was arrested. Further investigation is underway, said a cop.
The investigation revealed that the crime was meticulously planned, with inside information provided by the doctor's domestic help. The doctor's residence was specifically targeted due to intelligence about valuable assets kept there. The gang's modus operandi included using female accomplices to avoid raising suspicions in the neighbourhood.
Following his arrest, extensive interrogation sessions exposed Shahi's involvement in various other criminal activities across northern India.