Fugitive accused of five murders arrested in Bengaluru after 17 years on the run | Mumbai news

Mumbai: A 40-year-old fugitive, wanted for five murders committed over six years across West Bengal and Vasai, was arrested in Bengaluru on Thursday after evading capture for 17 years. The accused, Raju Shukla, was apprehended by the Crime Branch and brought to Mumbai.

According to police officials, Shukla had killed four members of his family in West Bengal in 2002 and later murdered a friend in Vasai in 2008 before fleeing to Karnataka.

The 2008 Vasai murder victim, identified as Rajkumar Sah, was found dead in Naikpada, Waliv, Vasai East. Investigations revealed that Shukla had absconded after the crime. The Crime Branch launched an extensive manhunt but discovered that he had been concealing his identity while frequently changing locations.

In 2008, officers visited his native village in Chhapra taluka of Bihar’s Saran district, but locals claimed he had not returned in years. To track him down, the police obtained call records of his childhood friends and relatives. Analysis of the data pointed to his presence in Karnataka. Further surveillance led officers to Bengaluru, where Shukla was living under a false identity and working as a security guard, plumber, and mechanic. A police team laid a trap and successfully apprehended him on Thursday.

During interrogation, authorities uncovered chilling details of his past crimes. Shukla’s original name was Niranjan Shukla. He lived with his father, stepmother, and three step-siblings in Haldia village, Midnapore district, West Bengal. Police said he harboured deep resentment toward his stepmother, whom he believed mistreated him. On February 26, 2002, he brutally murdered her—Geetakumari Shukla—along with his younger sisters, Pujakumari, 7, and Priyakumari, and his two-year-old brother, Maan. The victims were stabbed and strangled.

Following the massacre, Shukla fled to Vasai, where he assumed a new identity. He took up odd jobs and continued to live undetected until March 27, 2008, when he murdered his acquaintance, Manoj Rajbihari Sah, a company employee. Shukla killed Sah by smashing his head against a wall and strangling him with a rope.

Deputy commissioner of police (Crime) Avinash Ambure confirmed Shukla’s arrest and transfer to Mumbai. “The accused has been taken into custody and will be handed over to Vasai police for further legal proceedings,” he said.