UP criminal held near Mumbai by Ahmedabad crime branch

AHMEDABAD : The Ahmedabad crime branch in Gujarat has nabbed Manish Singh, a notorious criminal and member of Uttar Pradesh’s dreaded Subhash Singh Thakur gang, who had been on the run since the last 12 years, officials said on Wednesday.

Based on a specific tip-off about Singh’s present location, members of the Ahmedabad crime branch team stayed at Vasai in Mumbai’s neighbouring Palghar district for nearly one month and kept a close watch on his movements. The police personnel even worked as watchmen and cleaners in a residential society in three shifts, a release by the crime branch said.

Singh, 37, was finally nabbed on Tuesday and brought to Ahmedabad on Wednesday, it said. Singh is the “most wanted” criminal in Uttar Pradesh carrying a reward of Rs 50,000 on his head. A native of Varanasi in UP, he was on the run and evading arrest ever since he escaped from the custody of the UP police in 2009, it added. He was wanted in nearly 20 cases registered against him in different states, including 15 in UP and three in Gujarat. He was booked for serious offences, such as murder, attempt to murder and under the Arms Act for providing firearms to other criminals.

In 2014, three FIRs related to murder, criminal conspiracy and under the Arms Act were registered against Singh in Gujarat. The most sensational case was related to the murder of two persons inside the office of a petrol pump at Botad town of Gujarat. Bharatsinh Vala and Ranchhod Patel were shot dead by three persons over some old enmity.

A NATIVE OF VARANASI IN UP, HE WAS ON THE RUN AND EVADING ARREST EVER SINCE HE ESCAPED FROM THE CUSTODY OF THE UP POLICE IN 2009, IT ADDED