Daijiworld Media Network – Bantwal

Bantwal, Sept 7: In a significant breakthrough, Vittal police have arrested a man who had been evading arrest for 19 years in connection with a serious criminal case filed in 2006.

The accused, identified as Devaraj Vitla (49), was wanted in Crime No. 126/2006 under Sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace), and 326 (grievous hurt with dangerous weapons) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

According to police, after the FIR was registered, the accused went underground and remained untraceable for nearly two decades. "Efforts to locate him were ongoing for years, and an LPC (Long Pending Case) warrant — Warrant No. 15/2018 — had been issued by the court," said a senior police official familiar with the case.

Acting on newly obtained intelligence, the Vittal police team discovered that Devaraj was employed at the vehicle parking zone of the Sri Tirumala Tirupati Temple hill. A special police team travelled to Andhra Pradesh and successfully apprehended him on September 5.

He was brought back to Bantwal and produced before the local court on September 6, where the magistrate ordered judicial custody.

The arrest marks the closure of a long-pending case that had eluded police for nearly 20 years, and is being viewed as a notable success in the department’s continued efforts to execute backlogged warrants and bring fugitives to justice.