27 years after murder, accused arrested from Betul

BHOPAL: Hindi phrase, 'kanoon ke haath bahut lambe hote hain' (law eventually catches up) fits correctly on Ashok Haldar, 49, who was arrested in Betul district on Monday, 27 years after he committed a murder.
Haldar along with two others were charged with murder of Ramashish Sharma, a local trader in 1987 at Gopalpur village of the district. While the two other accused in the case were arrested, Haldar fled to Kolkata and was on the run ever since.
Haldar was arrested after he returned to Gopalpur village last week hoping that police would have closed the case in the 27 years that he remained elusive.
However, cops were on trail and go a tip off about his presence in the village and arrested him. Haldar had committed the murder when he was 22 and was unmarried. Now, married Haldar has two children.
"Complainant in the case, Himanshu son of deceased Ramashish Sharma was 15, when he lodged the complaint after the death of his father," sub-inspector D L Uikey, who is posted at Chopna police station and is investigating officer in the case, told TOI.
"Accused thought that after so many years the case must have been closed, so he returned confidently. We were informed by our sources and later complainant also identified him and subsequently Haldar was arrested," Uikey said.
Haldar used to work as a labourer in Kolkata all these years, Uikey said adding, "The other two accomplices were arrested earlier."