The Delhi Police crime branch has apprehended a 30-year-old man suspected of involvement in the kidnapping and murder of a man in Jharkhand. The suspect, identified as Sukhdev Murmu, had fled his native village in Jharkhand's Sahibganj district, where he and his accomplices allegedly killed the victim and buried his body in a jungle.
Arrest After Coordinated Operation
Following a 10-day manhunt and close coordination between Delhi and Jharkhand Police, Murmu was nabbed near Hanuman Mandir at Yamuna Bazar on Sunday. DCP (Crime) Sanjeev Kumar Yadav stated that the case came to light after an FIR was registered on May 21 at Borio police station in Sahibganj regarding the suspicious disappearance of a local resident, Champai Marandi. During the investigation, police discovered that Marandi was last seen consuming alcohol with the suspects.
Body Recovered from Forest
After an extensive search, the victim's body was recovered from a dense forest area nearly 10 days after the crime. Consequently, murder charges were added to the kidnapping case. Sensing that police were closing in, the suspects fled the village and scattered across different states to evade arrest.
Tip-Off Leads to Capture
The breakthrough came when Head Constable Gaurav received specific intelligence about Murmu's presence in Delhi. The informant told police that Murmu had been boasting about his involvement in a murder in his native village and about concealing the body in the jungle. Acting on the tip-off, the crime branch verified the information with the Borio police station SHO, who confirmed that Murmu was wanted in the murder case. Subsequently, a team led by Inspector Vinay Kumar, under the supervision of ACP Satendra Mohan, laid a trap near Yamuna Bazar. Around 11 am on Sunday, Murmu was arrested.
Confession During Interrogation
Police said that during interrogation, Murmu, a farm labourer allegedly addicted to alcohol, confessed to his involvement in the crime. “He disclosed that on May 12, he, along with co-accused Babuji Marandi and Mangal Tudu, was consuming liquor with the victim,” police said. A heated argument over a minor issue escalated into violence. Murmu allegedly admitted that while his associates strangled the victim to death, he assisted them in committing the murder and disposing of the body in the jungle.
Transit Remand Granted
Following the arrest, Jharkhand Police were informed and subsequently took the suspect into custody on transit remand granted by a Delhi court for further investigation and trial in his home state.
