Surat: City police have arrested 243 wanted and long-absconding accused during a 100-day special drive titled Operation TRAP (Targeted Raids on Absconders & Prolific Offenders), conducted between March 1 and June 10. Among those arrested were fugitives who had been evading arrest for as long as 28 years.Police formed multiple teams across police stations and carried out the operation jointly with the Detection of Crime Branch (DCB), Special Operations Group (SOG), Police Control Branch (PCB) and zonal Local Crime Branch units. Investigators scrutinised old case records, used technical surveillance and developed human intelligence inputs to trace suspects.Teams travelled to different states, set up camps, coordinated with local police authorities and conducted surveillance in targeted areas to track down the accused.Of the 243 arrested, 197 were absconders wanted in cases registered within the city. Another 34 accused wanted in cases registered elsewhere in Gujarat and outside the state were also apprehended during the drive. The remaining 12 were parole violators who allegedly absconded after overstaying their parole period.Police data showed that 200 of those arrested had been on the run for one to five years, 19 for six to 10 years, 15 for 11 to 20 years and nine for 21 to 30 years.The DCB arrested 82 accused during the operation, while the SOG apprehended 21, officials said.Among those arrested were seven reward-carrying fugitives, including accused traced to Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, as well as suspects wanted in cases linked to Morbi, Bhavnagar and Surat. The cumulative reward announced on these seven accused was Rs 2.55 lakh.According to police, the arrests covered a wide range of offences, including murder, attempt to murder, robbery, dacoity, extortion, NDPS offences, kidnapping, rape and Pocso cases.One of the most significant arrests was that of Vijay alias Baji Swain, who had allegedly been absconding for 28 years in a murder case registered at Sachin police station in 1998.Police said Vijay had been staying at his nephew’s residence in Sachin at the time. During that period, his nephew, Sujan alias Shiva Bansi Swain, and a group of associates allegedly got into an altercation with a man, which escalated into a violent assault. The victim later succumbed to his injuries, following which the accused fled.Crime Branch officials said Vijay was traced through a tip-off from an informant and was eventually arrested from Odisha, bringing to an end a nearly three-decade-long manhunt.
