19 September,2023 08:00 AM IST | Mumbai | Faizan Khan
J Dey
The Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF) has apprehended Deepak Dalveer Singh Sisodia, a close associate of underworld don Chhota Rajan, near the India-Nepal border in Uttarakhand's Champawat district. Sisodia had been sentenced to life for the murder of mid-day journalist J Dey and had been on the run after being granted parole last year in January.
Sisodia, a resident of Haldwani in Nainital, was serving a life sentence in the 2011 murder of J Dey and was released on parole from Amravati jail for 45 days in January 2022 and was supposed to return to prison in March. However, he escaped, leading to the filing of a case against him by the Mumbai police in Haldwani.
Following this, the Uttarakhand and Maharashtra cops, along with other agencies, had been trying to catch Sisodia for a year. Sources said that Uttarakhand STF received information about Sisodia's presence near the India-Nepal border, which led to the STF team, under the leadership of SP Sumit Pandey and Inspector MP Singh, reaching the Banbasa area and arresting him. After appearing in the Haldwani court, he has been sent to jail and will be transferred to Mumbai.
Also read: Mumbai: Spare trees, get new tech for Malabar Hill reservoir, MLA Lodha tells BMC
Sources have also revealed that, despite residing in Nepal, Sisodia would clandestinely visit his home in Haldwani. The STF received information on Sunday night that Deepak would be coming to Haldwani on Monday morning. In response, the team increased surveillance in the Banbasa. Sure enough, Sisodia arrived in Banbasa from Nepal in his car, and the team intercepted and apprehended him near the railway station.
Ayush Agarwal, senior superintendent of police, STF, speaking with Jagran reporter, said, "A trap was laid in Banbasa and a close associate of Chhota Rajan was arrested near the India-Nepal border. He had been taking shelter in Nepal and we were closely monitoring his movements. The details of his arrival were received recently and he was apprehended."
The Nainital police had also announced a reward of R25,000 for his arrest. Sisodia was instrumental in providing the US-made pistol to Dey's alleged killer Satish Kaliya.