A murder accused absconding for 16 years was arrested after a long hunt by the special task force in the district, police said on Wednesday.

The accused, Devendra was arrested on Tuesday for the involvement in the murder of eight people in 2003, police said.

In 2003, Devendra and three other men had killed eight people over an old enmity at Butrada village under Babri police station in Shamli district, they said.

While the other three accused are serving life terms, Devendra was on a run after committing the crime and carried a reward of Rs 12,000, police said.