'Pradeep To Abdul Rahim': UP Murder Convict Who Escaped Police For 36 Years By Changing Name, Religion Captured

A shocking case has emerged after 36 years, involving a man from Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, who managed to evade the law after being convicted of murdering his brother and sentenced to life imprisonment. The man identified as Pradeep Saxena not only altered his appearance and name but also converted to a different religion in a bid to escape justice until the authorities finally caught up with him.

In 1987, Saxena was accused of his brother’s murder, and in 1989, he was convicted. However, he managed to abscond after jumping parole and disappearing without a trace.

Fleeing to Moradabad, some 100 km away, Saxena assumed a new identity as Abdul Rahim, grew a beard, and began working as a driver. Over the years, he seemed to believe that his past and punishment were behind him.

But fate had other plans. According to an NDTV report, on October 16, the Allahabad High Court ordered that Saxena be presented to the authorities within four weeks. The police revisited the old case files and formed a team to track down the fugitive.

When the police contacted Saxena's brother, Suresh, still living in Bareilly, they discovered that the convicted murderer had changed both his religion and identity. Further investigation revealed that Saxena had even visited Bareilly recently, thinking the police had forgotten about him. However, they had not. He was promptly arrested and brought before the court.

"During questioning, he admitted that he is Pradeep Kumar Saxena, and that he had jumped parole in 1989. He moved to Moradabad, where he converted to Islam in 2002 to avoid detection. He was presented in court yesterday," a police spokesperson said.

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Bareilly’s police chief, Manush Parikh, told the press that Saxena had been convicted of both murder and theft in the 1987 case. "Pradeep Saxena appealed his sentence in the high court and then jumped parole. When the court ordered his arrest, we discovered he had concealed his identity and converted to escape the law."

The senior officer added that Saxena had married a Muslim woman in Moradabad and settled there. "He was convicted for the murder of his brother and sentenced to life imprisonment. He has now been arrested after 36 years," he confirmed.