Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi

Udupi, Jul 21: In a successful operation, the Padubidri police have arrested a lorry driver from Pune, Maharashtra, who had been evading the law for 23 years after being convicted in a fatal road accident case that occurred in 2002.

The arrested convict has been identified as Vilas Shinde, a resident of Bhor in Pune, Maharashtra.

The fatal accident took place on the morning of September 7, 2002, near the Muloor mosque in Bada village under the Padubidri police station limits on National Highway 66. Shinde, who was driving a mini goods lorry from Mangaluru towards Udupi in a reckless and high-speed manner, knocked down a schoolboy who was walking on the side of the road. The young boy succumbed to the severe injuries sustained in the impact.

Following the incident, a case was registered at the Padubidri police station, and a chargesheet was submitted to the court. After conducting a thorough trial and finding the driver guilty of the charges, the court sentenced him to three months of imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 1,000.

However, following the court's verdict, Shinde managed to evade the authorities and remained absconding for the past 23 years without leaving any trace. Consequently, the court issued a long-pending case (LPC) warrant against him.

Acting on the specific directions of Udupi district superintendent of police Hariram Shankar, a special team from the Padubidri police station gathered intelligence that the accused was currently working as a lorry driver in Pune. The police team successfully tracked him down in Maharashtra, executed the arrest, and produced him before the court.