22 years on and 9 km away, Mumbai cops arrest PITA case accused

Mumbai: A 49-year-old man absconding for the past 22 years in a Prevention of Immoral Traffic Act case was traced and arrested by Mumbai Police from the Vile Parle area, just 9 kms away from Oshiwara, where the offence had been registered, after the sessions court issued a non-bailable warrant.

A Mazgaon court had issued the arrest warrant against the accused, identified as Rajendra Shinde, and directed police to expedite efforts to trace and arrest him, officials said on Wednesday. An official said Shinde had relocated from a slum colony cleared for redevelopment around 2012-13, posing a challenge for police to trace his location.

Police were informed by sources that Shinde sold his room in 2005 and shifted to another location. Acting on the tip-off, a surveillance team gathered intelligence through multiple sources and developed information indicating that the accused was residing in the Vile Parle area, an official said. Police personnel on Wednesday noticed a suspicious individual in the Vile Parle area. His questioning confirmed his identity. Police refused to elaborate on a case registered against Shinde, with an official saying that further investigation is underway.