Ahmedabad: In a stunning case of evasion, convicted murderer Satish Ruparelia managed to remain undetected for over a decade after jumping parole, building an entirely new public life just 4 kilometers from the Sabarmati Central Jail he fled. Sentenced to life imprisonment for the sensational 1994 murder of businessman Arvind Shah, Ruparelia reinvented himself as 'Sanjay Thakkar' within the same city where he was prosecuted.
A New Identity Under the Nose of the Law
Operating as a financier and occasional spiritual speaker, Ruparelia remarried, raised two children, and officially changed his name through gazette records to seal his new identity, police said. He was finally detained by the crime branch in New Ranip on Sunday evening. Crime branch officers revealed that Ruparelia formally changed his name through a public gazette notification in 2014, nearly a year after jumping parole.
Background of the Case
Police said Ruparelia was originally sentenced to death in the murder case before the Gujarat High Court later commuted the punishment to life imprisonment. Officers added that he had earlier jumped parole in 2005, and was later arrested by Dariapur police in a fake currency notes case in 2008. He was sentenced to five years in that case, though both prison terms ran concurrently.
According to police, Ruparelia's first wife divorced him in 2010 after his conviction in the murder case. After allegedly absconding again in 2013, he started a completely new life. "In 2014, he married another woman and began living in New Ranip. He later had two children from the second marriage," a senior officer said.
Life as a Financier and Spiritual Speaker
Police said he worked as a private money lender and loan consultant, helping people secure loans and coordinating with banks. "He had officially changed his identity through gazette records, yet no agency detected that he was a parole absconder living within city limits," the officer added. Ruparelia gradually became active in spiritual programmes, said police. "He developed an interest in spiritual literature and began narrating it in public gatherings. He was regularly invited to such events in and around New Ranip and had become known among locals as a spiritual speaker," an officer said. "He attended public programmes openly for years, yet remained undetected," the officer added.
Family Involvement
Police said his father had earlier been convicted in connection with allegedly hiding robbed ornaments linked to the 1994 murder case. "The family lives in Chenpur and believed he was constantly moving while absconding. Though Ruparelia would make brief visits to his parents, they claim not to know that he had built a life in Ahmedabad," an officer said.
