Man on run in Surat murder case held in Pune after 15 years

A man wanted in a 2004 Surat murder case, was arrested from Pune after being on the run for 15 years, Mumbai police said on Wednesday.

According to police, Vikrant Patel, who is in his late twenties, was held on Tuesday night.

Patel was allegedly part of a six-member gang that had murdered a person in Surat in 2004. While five of the accused were arrested soon after the incident, Patel had gone absconding since then, police said.

Police stumbled upon Patel during their efforts to nab a convict in the case, who has jumped parole.

"On January 1, 2004, six men posing as staff of a gas company, had stormed into a bungalow in Surat and looted gold jewellery. In the process, the accused killed one of the members of the family and seriously injured others," an official said.

"After this, five of the six accused were arrested. A court in Surat had awarded death sentence to one of them, while four others were given life term," he added.

According to the official, an accused ...