Mumbai: After a relentless three-year pursuit, the Vinoba Bhave Nagar police have successfully arrested Naushad Israr Ahmed, 22, an accused who had been absconding for three years in a case of sexual assault on a minor girl. Ahmed was traced and arrested in Vadodara, Gujarat.
Since the registration of the case, Ahmed had been meticulously concealing his identity by changing his appearance, using false names, and employing a total of 65 SIM cards from various companies across Gujarat, Rajasthan, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh.
According to the police, Ahmed, a resident of Surat, Gujarat, worked as an auto-rickshaw driver in the Kurla West area. He is accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old student residing within the jurisdiction of Vinoba Bhave Nagar Police Station, after luring her into his rickshaw.
The Vinoba Bhave Nagar police registered a case against Ahmed on July 18, 2022, under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including 363 (kidnapping), 376 (rape), and 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty). He was also charged under Sections 4, 8, and 12 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Immediately after the case was filed, Ahmed fled Mumbai. For the past three years, he had been living in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh, constantly altering his appearance and using fake identities. During this period, he utilized a total of 65 SIM cards from various companies and frequently changed his mobile phones.
However, the police relentlessly tracked him down, eventually gathering information that he was working as a truck driver for Safe Express Courier Godown in the Padmala area of Gujarat, operating vehicle number GJ 01 JT 5209.
Ahmed was known to travel frequently between Gujarat, Rajasthan, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh. Upon receiving specific intelligence about his presence in Vadodara, Gujarat, a police team swiftly moved in, took him into custody, and formally arrested him.
