A woman sentenced to life imprisonment for kidnapping and murdering a 10-year-old boy in Delhi in 1990 allegedly changed her name, married under an assumed identity and spent more than two decades evading the law after she was granted parole in 2006, an official said on Wednesday.
She was sentenced to life imprisonment, and her conviction was upheld by the appellate court, police said.
“Sadhana and co-accused Raj Kumar were later apprehended from Jahangir Puri. During trial, Sadhana was found to be the last person seen with the child. Teams examined information from human sources, old associates and family links while trying to establish her whereabouts.
The woman was convicted in an FIR registered at Adarsh Nagar police station under sections 302 (murder), 364 (kidnapping) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the erstwhile Indian Penal Code for the kidnapping and murder of 10-year-old Deepak alias Babloo. Police said for more than 20 years, a team of the Crime Branch kept pursuing leads to locate her.
She was traced to Haridwar following sustained efforts and apprehended, according to Delhi Police’s Crime Branch. “Sadhana alias Pooja, was arrested on September 27 after remaining untraced since January 18, 2006, when she failed to surrender following the expiry of her extended parole,” a senior police officer said. She was sentenced to life imprisonment, and her conviction was upheld by the appellate court, police said. The two were living together as husband and wife without being married, a relationship opposed by Deepak’s father Balwant Ram and his family,” the officer said. She was also held guilty of playing an active role in the conspiracy, according to police.
An earlier dispute allegedly resulted in resentment and a decision to take revenge, following which Deepak was kidnapped and murdered.
