NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police Crime Branch has arrested Arjun Kumar, alias Bhola (31), from the Indo-Nepal border for allegedly murdering his girlfriend eight years ago in east Delhi. Officials said on Monday that Bhola had been jailed in Nepal for another murder committed in the same manner but escaped during the recent unrest in the country.
According to police, Bhola was sentenced to 25 years in a Nepal jail for killing a woman by stabbing and slitting her throat, just as he had done in Delhi. During the recent riots in Nepal, he managed to escape and crossed over to India through the Raxaul border, where he was caught by a Crime Branch team.
The case dates back to November 17, 2017, when a man complained to New Ashok Nagar police station, reporting that his daughter had been abducted. He raised suspicion on Bhola and another man named Pintoo. Later, the woman’s body was found in Bhola’s rented accommodation. By then, Bhola had fled, and a reward of Rs 1 lakh was announced for his arrest.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Harsh Indora said they later discovered that Bhola was lodged in a Nepal jail. “We received a tip-off regarding a jailbreak in Nepal in which Bhola had also escaped. Police found that Bhola had crossed the Indo-Nepal border through Raxaul border, following which a team rushed towards the border in Bihar. Later, Bhola was nabbed from the Raxaul border while attempting to enter India,” Indora said.
Police said Bhola and the victim were living in the same building in New Ashok Nagar. He developed a relationship with her and repeatedly pressured her to marry him. When she refused and her family fixed her marriage with another man, Bhola felt betrayed. He insisted she elope with him, but she declined. On November 16, 2017, he killed her by stabbing and slitting her throat. Unable to dispose of the body alone, he locked his rented room and ran away.
Bhola then fled to Nepal, where he befriended a local man named Nausad, who was in a relationship with a married woman against her family’s wishes. To silence opposition, Nausad conspired with his cousin Mohammad Rashid and Bhola to kill the woman’s mother. They murdered her in the same way Bhola had killed in Delhi. All three were arrested in Nepal and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
During the recent riots, Bhola managed to escape and slipped into India, but was caught by police before he could move further.