Fugitive, accused of kidnapping, raping minor, held after 8 months

22-year-old fugitive, accused of allegedly kidnapping, raping a minor girl multiple times in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, was arrested last week in Gurgaon, almost eight months after he escaped from police custody by breaking the lock-up of the Nangloi police station, police said on Friday.

Earlier, Lal Singh was arrested on June 28, 2016 and was kept in the lock-up, as he was to be produced before a city court. But in the wee hours of June 29, Singh somehow removed the iron bars of the lock-up and escaped.

When Singh could not be arrested despite multiple raids, the Delhi Police announced a reward of ₹25,000 to anybody who provided them any lead about Singh or helped the police arrest him. Apart from the kidnapping and rape case, a case of escaping from police custody was also registered against him.

MN Tiwari, deputy commissioner of police (outer district), said that the man was arrested following multiple raids conducted by their team in various parts in Haryana’s Mewat and Nuh and in Uttar Pradesh.

“Our team received information about Singh’s hideout in Gurgaon on March 11. He was arrested after a raid the very same day,” said Tiwari.

On June 23, 2016, Tiwari said, one person approached the Nangloi police and filed the missing complaint of his minor daughter. A kidnapping case was registered and during investigation the girl was rescued and reunited with her family three days later.

In her statement before the child welfare committee, the girl alleged that Singh, whom she had earlier met at her relative’s house in Nuh, met her outside her home on June 23 and offered her some spiked drink. Following which he took her to Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and raped her multiple times.