Surat: Three decades after a man was allegedly killed during a violent clash in Surat’s Sachin GIDC area, the city police’s Prevention of Crime Branch (PCB) has arrested a murder accused who had remained absconding since 1996.The accused, Chandar Dalai, was wanted in connection with a case registered at Sachin police station in 1996 under Sections 302, 143, 148, 149 and 307 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The case involved murder, rioting and other offences arising from the violent confrontation.According to PCB police inspector R S Suvera, investigators recently learnt that Dalai had been residing in Odisha’s Ganjam district. After verifying the information and obtaining the necessary permission, a PCB team was dispatched to trace him.“The team traced Dalai to Faleshwarpalli village in Odisha and apprehended him. He was brought back to Surat for further legal proceedings,” Suvera said.Police said the case dates back to 1996, when a quarrel broke out between Dalai, his six associates and the deceased, Dineshwar Pal, along with his friend Chunilal Korat. During the altercation, Pal was fatally attacked.Investigators said the dispute stemmed from an earlier altercation between Pal, a labour contractor, and one of the accused, Santosh. According to police, Pal had allegedly slapped Santosh several times. Santosh later went to confront Pal along with Dalai and five other associates, leading to the violent clash.Police had previously arrested four accused, including Santosh. Two other accused, identified as Kaliya Gaud and Upendra Dalai, have died.Dalai, however, remained at large for nearly 30 years. Police said he had been living in different parts of Odisha to evade arrest. Investigators eventually traced him after developing surveillance inputs.“Dalai apparently believed that the police may have forgotten about the case and returned to his native place, where he began farming. Our surveillance team traced him there,” Suvera said.The arrest is part of the Surat PCB’s ongoing efforts to track down long-absconding accused involved in serious criminal cases. Police said that over the past three-and-a-half years, the branch has traced and arrested 57 accused who had been wanted for more than 10 years in connection with serious offences.
