Nearly a year after jumping bail, a 27-year-old man wanted in seven criminal cases, including the rape of a minor and murder of his sister’s boyfriend, was arrested after a midnight chase from a farm in Sonipat, Delhi Police said on Wednesday.
The accused, identified as Nitesh Dahiya, first came on police radar in 2017 after allegedly kidnapping and raping a minor girl in Kanjhawala. Police said Dahiya had forcibly attempted to marry the girl. He was arrested and later released on bail, but soon stopped appearing for trial.
In 2018, Dahiya allegedly abducted and murdered his sister’s boyfriend after the family opposed their relationship. According to investigators, he and other family members beat the victim to death with bricks before dumping his body in a canal in Haryana. “He was granted interim bail in 2024 for two weeks but jumped bail and remained on the run,” said DCP (Crime) Pankaj Kumar.
Investigators said multiple raids were conducted but they could not trace the accused. Police said he was hiding in different states. Last week, a Crime Branch team raided his native village in Sonipat late Tuesday and spotted him.
Dahiya tried to flee, jumping across rooftops and running into nearby fields, but was caught after an hour-long chase, police said.
Police said Dahiya is involved in multiple cases of assault and theft. He and his family live in Kanjhawala area. However, after the 2018 murder case, he had been in jail and later living alone.