Hans News Service New Delhi

A life convict, who had been on the run for more than 15 years after jumping parole in a murder-cum-ransom case involving the kidnapping and killing of a 10-year-old boy, was arrested here, an officer said on Thursday.

The accused, Narender Chauhan (48), was convicted in a 2002 case registered at Shalimar Bagh police station under charges including murder, kidnapping for ransom and criminal conspiracy.

He was sentenced to life imprisonment, police said. Police said the Delhi High Court granted Chauhan one month’s parole in April 2011, but he did not surrender to jail authorities after the parole period ended and remained absconding.

Acting on specific intelligence, a Delhi Police Crime Branch team tracked him to a rented accommodation in Chhaprola village in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, and arrested him on Wednesday, they said.

According to police, Chauhan frequently changed his residence, living at various locations in Ghaziabad and Greater Noida to evade arrest. He allegedly earned his livelihood by providing tuition to children while on the run. Police said the case relates to the kidnapping of a boy, and the child was allegedly murdered after his family failed to pay a ransom of Rs 20 lakh. All the accused were later convicted in the case.