Man arrested from Punjab for killing Zomato delivery boy

New Delhi: A 27-year-old man was arrested from Punjab, two years after he allegedly killed a Zomato delivery boy over an issue of smoking in west Delhi, police said on Monday.

The accused, Surjeet Singh, disguised his identity as Nihang and associated with local religious groups to avoid recognition and evade arrest, they said.

Singh had been declared a Proclaimed Offender by a court here and was apprehended after a week-long operation in Punjab, Deputy Commissioner of Police (crime) Satish Kumar said.

The incident took place on June 15, 2022, in Tilak Nagar area when Singh and his associate, Harshdeep Singh, fatally stabbed 29-year-old Sagar Singh over a minor dispute about smoking, he said.

Kumar said Harshdeep confronted Sagar for smoking, and an argument escalated into a deadly attack, with Sagar being stabbed in the chest.

While Harshdeep was immediately arrested, Surjeet managed to flee the scene and evaded capture by frequently changing his locations, the DCP said.

Despite extensive efforts to track him down, Surjeet remained elusive, prompting the court to declare him a Proclaimed Offender, he said.

The Crime Branch team, led by Inspector Krishan Kumar and under the guidance of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Naresh Kumar, launched a series of raids in Delhi and Punjab, employing technical surveillance and human intelligence, the officer said.

"After gathering vital leads, they traced Surjeet to the Amritsar region and then to Batala, Punjab, where he had been hiding in the Madiaval village area," another officer said.

During interrogation, Surjeet confessed to the murder and revealed that he altered his appearance to avoid being arrested, the officer said.