Palghar Police Arrest Fugitive Convicted in 2016 Murder Case

Palghar, Aug 6 (PTI): In a significant breakthrough, police in Maharashtra's Palghar district have successfully apprehended a man convicted in a 2016 murder case after he spent over three years evading capture. The accused, Shankar Jagdish Mukhiya, also known by his alias Samosewala, was arrested in Punjab after a prolonged manhunt, authorities announced on Wednesday.

According to the police, Mukhiya employed various aliases and changed identities frequently to dodge law enforcement. He was found guilty of murdering one Dilip Basnet on September 15, 2016, in Nalasopara. Senior police inspector Sameer Ahirrao revealed that the murder stemmed from Basnet allegedly making obscene remarks about Mukhiya's wife, which provoked the brutal attack with a sharp weapon.

The Waliv police had charged Mukhiya under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code for murder, leading to his conviction and a subsequent prison sentence, details of which were not specified in the police statement.

Mukhiya was out on parole from Thane Central Jail in 2022, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. However, when his parole expired on May 7, 2022, he failed to return to custody and went into hiding, prompting authorities to open a new case against him under IPC section 224, which addresses resistance or obstruction to lawful apprehension.

Acting on credible intelligence, a special police team was dispatched to Punjab, where they successfully located and arrested Mukhiya in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district, on Monday.