31 Years Later: Kidnapping-Murder Convict Arrested After Jumping Bail

In a major breakthrough, the Delhi Police has arrested a 54-year-old man who had been living under a false identity for over two decades after jumping bail in a 1995 kidnapping and murder case.

The accused, identified as Salim Khan alias Salim Ahmed , also known as Salim Wastik, was apprehended from Loni in Uttar Pradesh by the Crime Branch. Police said he had been evading arrest since 2000 after failing to surrender following interim bail granted during the pendency of his appeal.

Khan was convicted in 1997 along with an associate, Anil, for abducting and killing a 13-year-old boy , the son of a cement businessman in northeast Delhi. The child was kidnapped while on his way to school in January 1995, and a ransom of ₹30,000 was demanded. Investigators later recovered the boy’s body from a drain near Mustafabad based on Khan’s disclosure.

Both accused were sentenced to life imprisonment by a sessions court, and the conviction was upheld by the Delhi High Court in 2011.

After absconding, Khan allegedly moved frequently across Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, working as an almirah maker in cities such as Karnal and Ambala before settling in Loni around 2010. To avoid detection, he reportedly declared himself dead in official records and assumed new identities. Under the alias Salim Wastik, he ran a women’s garments shop and cultivated a public image as a social activist and YouTuber .

Police said the breakthrough came following a tip-off , after which his identity was confirmed using old photographs and fingerprint records . He was arrested with assistance from local police and has since been lodged in Tihar Jail .

Interestingly, earlier this year, Khan was allegedly attacked by unidentified men in Loni and sustained multiple stab injuries . He received treatment at the Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital and was later shifted to a private facility.

Officials said he evaded detection through identity manipulation , frequent relocation , and fading public memory , aided by limited digital tracking in earlier years. His reinvention as a local businessman and social media personality helped him avoid suspicion, until improved surveillance and forensic verification led to his arrest.