He had changed his name and moved to Madhya Pradesh, where he worked as a driver for a PWD officer
Rajesh Kumar Dvivedi
It took the Crime Branch's consistent efforts for two years to find and arrest a murderer who had jumped parole 13 years back. Rajesh Kumar Dvivedi, 37, was arrested in 2003 for murdering a 70-year-old woman in her house. He was re-arrested on January 12.
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On night of March 17, 2003, Dvivedi, who as a security guard for a building at Bhulabhai Desai Road, killed the woman, Ramden Samani. He stole Rs 2 lakh cash and ornaments from her house. Gamdevi cops arrested him and he was convicted by the Sessions Court with life imprisonment. After four years he applied for parole for one month claiming his wife was ill. He did not return from the leave. The case was challenged for capital punishment in 2015. When after repeated summons Dvivedi did not show up, in 2017, the High Court ordered the Crime Branch to find him.
Crime Branch unit 2 visited the village in Uttar Pradesh that Dvivedi had mentioned after his arrest. "We found no clue for Dvivedi or his family. After consistently questioning villagers, we got an address for his wife," said an officer from Unit 2.
Police get address
The police found that Dvivedi's wife visits her parent's home at regular intervals. A villager gave Dvivedi's vehicle number to the police. This helped them get his cellphone number and address in Madhya Pradesh.
Tattoos and birthmarks
On January 12 the police called him on pretext of hiring his vehicle. They told Dvivedi that they were Mumbai police. "Initially he claimed he was not who they were after. The police verified the tattoos and birth marks which were recorded during his arrest," said Sanjay Nikumbe, Inspector in charge of Crime Branch Unit 2.
Dvivedi was brought to Mumbai on January 15. "The accused had prepared all his documents with a fake name and worked as a driver for an officer of the Public Works Department (PWD). He thought he had succeeded in evading the police and led a fearless life," the officer said.
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