JOIN USSadhu held two years after murder
Police here arrested a sadhu who went into hiding two years back after killing a man who had been demanding repayment of loan.
Anand Swaroop Rathi was arrested in Connaught Place on Tuesday after a tip-off that he has returned to the Capital, said additional commissioner of police (New Delhi) K C Dwivedi.Police said Peter Franklin, 57, of Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg was stabbed by an unidentified man in Connaught Place on July 27, 2010. Franklin was taken to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital where he declared dead. Police registered a case the next day but were unable to trace Rathi. During investigation, police found that Franklin was last seen with Rathi, who used to stay on city streets. “All out efforts were made to trace the whereabouts of Rathi which led the investigating team to Ghaziabad. They found out that Rathi left the room on the day of incident itself,” said Dwivedi. Neither Rathi, nor any of his accomplice was traced. “Rathi did not have a cellphone and also had not contact with any person. We did not even have his photograph,” he added.Police over a time found that Rathi earlier used to work as volunteer with Delhi Home Guards. He worked in Air force and later after resigning from Air force, joined Lady Hardinge Hospital as nursing boy on daily wages. Police also found that he turned into a sadhu in 1997 and till 2005, travelled across India. In 2005, he came in contact with a woman in Libaspur village in Delhi.He also rented a place near Ghaziabad railway station and there he came in contact with Franklin. Further investigations pointed out that he went into hiding after vacating the room at Ghaziabad. Police on Tuesday got a tip-off that he has returned to Delhi and arrested him.Rathi told police that Franklin had given him a loan of Rs 40,000, and was pressurising him to return the money. On July 26, 2010 night, they had a heated argument. He stabbed Franklin in a fit of rage and then went into hiding at Haridwar in Uttarakhand.