Ahmedabad Crime Branch arrests fugitive wanted for 2001 murder-robbery after 25 years from UP

The Ahmedabad City Crime Branch has arrested a key accused who had been on the run for over 25 years in connection with a robbery and murder case registered at Danilimda police station in 2001. The accused was traced and apprehended from Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, as part of a special operation ahead of the upcoming rathyatra.

The arrest was made as part of a drive initiated by the Commissioner of Police, Ahmedabad, to track down and apprehend long-term absconding accused involved in serious crimes. A detailed examination of pending case files was conducted, and human intelligence resources were deployed to identify and locate such individuals.

The 2001 murder-robbery case

On the night of January 27, 2001, Bakar Ali alias Munshiji Ebajkhan Pathan, a night watchman at Dugal Textile Factory, in the Chandola area of Danilimda, was brutally murdered. He was strangled and stabbed in the neck during a robbery and cash was looted from the premises. A case was registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at Danilimda police station. 

Since then, one of the key accused in the case, Ramu Prema alias Prembaba Verma (Keheria), aged 52, has remained absconding. Based on new intelligence inputs, Crime Branch officials located Ramu working at a construction site in Kanpur district and apprehended him. He has since been handed over to the Danilimda police for further investigation.

The accused’s long criminal history

Investigations have revealed that Ramu Verma has an extensive and violent criminal record spanning multiple states and two decades. His past includes arrests for theft, extortion, kidnapping, attempted murder, and multiple offences under the Arms Act. His known cases include:

• 1998 – Arrested for cloth theft in Vatva, Ahmedabad
• 2004–2006 – Involved in several criminal cases in UP, including robbery and Arms Act violations
• 2006 – Arrested for extortion and kidnapping in UP, served four years in prison
• 2011–2013 – Multiple arrests under IPC Sections and Arms Act Sections
• 2013 – Booked under U.P. Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, 1986
• 2019 – Further Arms Act charges filed in Rura, Kanpur Dehat