In a dramatic culmination of an over-decade-long manhunt, the Banda Police in Uttar Pradesh finally apprehended murder accused Sandeep Mishra on Monday. The 45-year-old fugitive, who had been on the run since a daring escape from custody in 2012, was arrested following a brief encounter near the Bhuragarh bypass.
The Elusive Escape and a Changed Identity
Sandeep Mishra's journey as a fugitive began on August 8, 2012. While being transported from court to jail, he threw chilli powder into the eyes of the escorting policemen and managed to flee after also snatching their rifle. Despite the arrest of twelve other accused in the case by 2015, Mishra remained untraceable for so long that authorities had begun to presume he was dead.
To evade capture, Mishra executed a complete identity overhaul. As revealed by Banda Superintendent of Police Palash Bansal, the accused started living in Pune under the alias Pappu Tiwari. His wife, Shyama, changed her name to Pooja Tiwari. He worked in factories, avoided contact with his family in Uttar Pradesh, and meticulously stayed away from his hometown of Banda, successfully staying off the police radar for years.
The Wedding Call That Led to the Breakthrough
The breakthrough in the eleven-year-old case came from a modern policing tool: technical surveillance. Police intercepted a phone call made by Mishra's wife to her parents, discussing preparations for their son's upcoming wedding. This call raised immediate red flags during routine monitoring.
"The surveillance and informers' tip-offs revealed that Sandeep Mishra completely altered his identity to evade arrest," stated SP Palash Bansal. Officers discreetly verified the family details mentioned in the call and found that the parents' names matched those of Mishra's in-laws. This confirmation set the final phase of the operation in motion.
The Final Confrontation and Arrest
After months of quiet tracking and ground verification, a police team visited Pune to confirm Mishra's changed identity and gather concrete details. Knowing the accused would likely travel to Banda for his son's wedding, the police laid their trap.
On December 26, a joint team of the Special Operations Group (SOG) and Matoundh police confronted Mishra near the Bhuragarh bypass. Officials reported that the accused opened fire at the police team. The police retaliated in self-defence, injuring Mishra in the leg before successfully taking him into custody. He was carrying a reward of Rs 1 lakh on his head.
SP Bansal highlighted the multi-pronged strategy that led to the arrest, stating, "We used multiple methods to keep an eye on elusive criminals, which included informers' tip-offs, surveillance, and decoys in civvies. For the last 6 months, we were on Mishra." The arrest closes a long chapter for the Banda Police, proving that the long arm of the law can reach fugitives no matter how well they hide or for how long.
