Delhi Police have arrested a prime suspect in the murder and robbery case of Dr Yogesh Chander Paul, a 63-year-old doctor who was found dead at his home in Jangpura Extension in May. The suspect used eight mobile phones and twenty SIM cards to evade the police.
The suspect, identified as Vishnuswaroop Shahi, was taken into custody at the Indo-Nepal border on November 2 after a 1,600-km chase by a police team.
On the evening of May 10, police responded to a call about a possible homicide at Dr. Paul’s home. Upon arrival, they found Dr. Paul’s body in the kitchen. The house was searched, indicating a robbery.
Police investigations soon revealed that a group, allegedly led by Shahi, was responsible for the crime. Three suspects, including the family’s domestic help, Basanti, and two associates, Akash Kumar and Himanshu Joshi, were arrested soon afterwards.
However, Shahi, who was also known by several aliases including Shakti Sai and Krishna Shahi, and was believed to be the mastermind, managed to evade capture for months along with four other accomplices.
How the accused was traced
In their efforts to track down Shahi, investigators analyzed phone records and found that he had replaced approximately eight phones and more than 20 SIM cards to avoid detection. Surveillance led police to Suket Valley in Himachal Pradesh, but Shahi had fled the area by the time the team arrived.
The chase continued through Dehradun, where Shahi was last seen boarding a bus towards the Nepal border. After a brutal chase, the Crime Branch team arrested him in the early hours of November 2 at Banbasa, bordering Nepal.
How the accused planned the robbery
During interrogation, Shahi revealed that Basanti had tipped him off about valuable cash and jewelry in Dr. Paul’s house. Shahi and his accomplice Bhim Jora, along with Jora’s wife, allegedly planned and executed the robbery after scouting the premises.
The burglary turned violent and Dr. Paul was killed during the crime. Shahi and his gang then fled to Nepal, where they distributed the stolen money and jewelry. Shahi reportedly received Rs 40,000 and 13 grams of gold from the loot.
SHAHI’S HISTORY OF CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES
Born in Kalikot, Nepal, Shahi has a history of criminal activities in India. He was earlier arrested in 2018 and 2020 for drug trafficking under the NDPS Act in Solan, Himachal Pradesh. After securing bail, he failed to appear in court and was subsequently declared an offender.
He reportedly used multiple identities and fake IDs to evade law enforcement.
FALSE ID’S, 4 CELL PHONES RECOVERED
Police seized four mobile phones and several fake identity documents with different names from Shahi at the time of his arrest.
Shahi, who had only studied in the fifth grade, is suspected of using domestic helpers as informants to identify targets with valuables. The investigation is ongoing and police are investigating possible links to other crimes in the region.
Published on:
November 2, 2024