New Delhi, Aug 10: In a significant breakthrough, the Central Range of Delhi Police Crime Branch on Monday arrested a proclaimed offender carrying a reward of Rs 50,000 who had been evading arrest for more than 12 years in a sensitive forgery case, involving fake letterheads of prominent political offices and government authorities.

The accused, identified as Manoharan Kandhasamy, was wanted in connection with FIR No. 33/2008 registered under Sections 465 and 468 of the Indian Penal Code at Mandir Marg Police Station, New Delhi.

According to Delhi Police, the arrest concludes a long and challenging manhunt against the accused, who had allegedly misused the judicial process by jumping bail and remaining untraceable for years.

The case has its origins in FIR No. 384/2007 under Section 380 IPC, registered at Mandir Marg Police Station on the complaint of Vijay Kumar, a resident of Hyderabad. Kumar reported that while staying at a Dharamshala in Delhi, he had kept gold ornaments and other valuables inside an almirah in his room. Upon returning, he found the almirah lock broken and the valuables missing.

During the investigation, police apprehended Manoharan Kandhasamy, who originally hailed from Karnataka. Although the stolen property could not be recovered from his possession, a search conducted during the investigation led to the recovery of several printed and blank letterheads purportedly issued by eminent political offices and government authorities.

Given the seriousness of the matter and its wider implications, both cases were later transferred to the Crime Branch for further investigation.

During the course of the investigation in the forgery case, Kandhasamy was arrested and sent to judicial custody. However, after spending about a month in custody, he was granted bail by the court. Police said that after securing bail, he deliberately failed to appear before the court and absconded, thereby obstructing the judicial process.

In 2014, the Court of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate at Patiala House Courts, New Delhi, declared him a Proclaimed Offender. Despite extensive efforts by investigators, the accused remained untraceable for several years, leading authorities to announce a reward of Rs 50,000 for information leading to his arrest.

After more than a month of sustained technical surveillance and verification, the team identified a mobile number allegedly being used by the accused in Tamil Nadu. Acting on this lead, police initiated continuous surveillance and field inquiries in the state.

The operation ultimately led investigators to Tiruchengode in Namakkal district of Tamil Nadu. On August 4, the accused was traced to a godown on the outskirts of the town, where he was reportedly engaged in the poultry business. He was subsequently arrested by the Crime Branch team.

During interrogation, Kandhasamy admitted that after being released on bail, he intentionally absconded due to fears of being sent back to jail and facing conviction in the case. He told investigators that he severed ties with former associates, changed his place of residence, and relocated to Tamil Nadu to avoid arrest.

Police said he had settled there with his family, established a livelihood, and continuously concealed his identity and whereabouts from law enforcement agencies.

Manoharan Kandhasamy, approximately 62 years old, originally belongs to Mangaluru in Karnataka. He has been residing with his family in Tiruchengode, Namakkal district, Tamil Nadu, for several years. Married and a father of two children, he is engaged in the poultry business and operates a poultry farm that serves as the primary source of income for his family.

Hyderabad, Aug 10: Hyderabad Police have arrested four persons for cheating people on the pretext of locating hidden treasure, officials said on Monday.

The sleuths of the Commissioner’s Task Force, Shamshabad Zone, in coordination with the Rajendra Nagar police, busted a racket involving cheating of innocent persons on the false pretext of locating hidden treasure (Gupta Nidhulu) buried beneath houses, a police officer said.

Police investigation revealed that the accused had cheated 11 people to the tune of around Rs one crore in different areas.

According to K.S. Rao, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, Taskforce, the accused used to approach innocent and gullible people, claiming that they possessed special knowledge and could locate hidden treasure buried underground in residential premises. After digging the ground, they used to plant a sack containing coal along with duplicate gold-coated coins. Later, they absconded after stating that it would take some time to convert the coal into gold.

The accused have been identified as Mohd Munawar, Syed Ali Ashraf, Mohd Haji and Mohd Salman.

Police seized two four-wheelers, one auto-rickshaw, two motorcycles, four cell phones, 25 fake gold coins, coal, soil and puja material from their possession.

According to police, the prime accused, Munawar, was engaged in car denting and painting work. As his income was not sufficient to meet his family expenses, he allegedly hatched a plan to cheat gullible people by claiming that he had special knowledge and the ability to locate hidden treasure (Gupta Nidhulu) buried beneath their houses. He contacted his friends, who joined him in the illegal activity with the intention of earning easy money.

A case was registered against the accused at Rajendra Nagar Police Station under BNS sections 318(4), 351(2), 61(2) r/w 3(5).

The police said that it has come to their notice that, in recent times, some fraudsters have been moving around streets, villages, and towns claiming that hidden/underground treasures (Gupta Nidhulu) are available at certain places and are cheating the gullible people by making false promises.

Police have cautioned the general public not to believe or fall victim to such persons and their fraudulent activities.

Bengaluru: The Karnataka Police suspect that a Bengaluru-based techie who went missing from the historic Shivagange Hill in Bengaluru Rural district may have planned to take his own life, with investigators recovering searches from his laptop that allegedly indicate he had researched the consequences of falling from the hill.

The missing techie, identified as Advait Upadhyaya, a native of Indore in Madhya Pradesh who was residing in Kadugodi in Bengaluru, went missing after arriving at Shivagange for trekking on Friday.

A major search operation has been underway for the past three days, involving the police, fire and emergency services, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and other personnel. Teams are searching the difficult terrain of Shivagange Hill using drones and other modern equipment.

According to police sources, the investigation has revealed several details that have strengthened the suspicion that Upadhyaya may have planned to take the extreme step.

Police recovered a laptop from his residence and managed to access it during the investigation. They allegedly found that Upadhyaya had used an AI tool to search for information about the time it would take to die if he fell from Shivagange Hill.

Investigators also found searches relating to the height of the hill and the possible consequences of a fall. According to the police, an AI-generated response suggested that a person falling from the hill at around 7.30 a.m. could potentially die.

Based on these searches and other evidence gathered during the investigation, police suspect that Upadhyaya may have travelled to Shivagange on August 4 itself, ahead of his planned trekking trip on August 7.

On August 7, Upadhyaya reportedly began trekking at Shivagange. Soon after starting the trek, he sent a photograph to a woman to whom he was engaged. He subsequently became unreachable.

Police have also obtained a photograph of Upadhyaya taken by another tourist while he was reportedly at the hilltop. Investigators are examining the photograph and other available evidence to establish his movements before he went missing.

The search operation is being led by Nelamangala Town Circle Inspector Bharat Gowda and involves police personnel, SDRF teams and experts familiar with the difficult terrain.

The teams are using drone cameras to scan inaccessible portions of the hill and are searching narrow, deep and steep sections where a person could potentially be trapped or have fallen.

The Shantala Drop, a popular tourist spot atop Shivagange, is one of the most challenging areas for search teams because of its steep terrain and difficult access.

Officials are continuing the search while examining technical and other evidence to determine exactly what happened to Upadhyaya.

Police have not yet confirmed that Upadhyaya has died and are continuing efforts to locate him. The search operation is likely to continue until the missing techie is traced.