Delhi Police has cracked a 35-year-old murder case with the arrest of a proclaimed offender who had been on the run since 1991. The accused, Chhavi Lal Verma, was arrested after decades of evading authorities. The case dates back to August 2, 1991, when a PCR call reported a violent attack at West Vinod Nagar in East Delhi. When police reached the spot, they found a woman unconscious with multiple stab injuries on her neck, while her son, then aged around 18 to 20 years, had suffered stab wounds on his face. Both were rushed to Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital, where the woman later died, while her son survived. Investigations revealed that Verma, who was around 25 at the time, was a tenant in the victim’s house in the Trilok Puri area. Police said he attacked the woman and her son with a sharp-edged weapon during a robbery attempt.
Decades on the run across cities
According to The Hindustan Times, Verma fled after the attack and managed to stay hidden for years. He was declared a proclaimed offender by a Delhi court on May 10, 1996. Officials said he avoided returning to his native place and even stayed away from major family events, including his children’s marriages, to escape arrest. Over the years, he moved across several cities, including Kolkata, Mumbai, Nagpur and Goa, before eventually settling in Punjab. During this time, he kept changing identities and worked in low-profile jobs to avoid detection.
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Breakthrough after fresh probe
The breakthrough came when the Crime Branch reopened the case and launched a fresh investigation. A dedicated team spent the last six months tracking leads using technical surveillance and field intelligence. Officers revisited old records, tracked past associates and conducted searches in his native village in Sultanpur in Uttar Pradesh, along with other locations linked to his relatives. Based on fresh intelligence, police traced him to Ludhiana, where he was working as a security guard at a commercial establishment. He was arrested on April 10.
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During interrogation, Verma confessed to the crime, stating that robbery was the motive. He had assumed that his landlady had substantial cash as her husband lived abroad. The plan turned violent when the victims resisted. Police have informed the concerned station in Trilok Puri of further legal proceedings. The investigation is ongoing.
