Palghar, May 28 (PTI) For 23 years, Harun Ali Mustakin Ali Sayyed, an autorickshaw driver, evaded the law for a murder he allegedly committed in 2001, but it finally caught up with the 43-year-old, as the Maharashtra police announced his arrest on Wednesday.

Sayyed was wanted for murder that he allegedly had committed on October 14, 2001, when a passenger, Moharam Ali, then 56, stepped into his autorickshaw in Palghar district, neighbouring Mumbai. A dispute over the fare erupted, and Sayyed, in a fit of rage, allegedly stabbed Moharam Ali repeatedly. Within an hour, Moharam Ali succumbed to his injuries.

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Five months ago, the Crime Branch Unit-III of the Mira-Bhayander Vasai-Virar police decided to revisit the “cold case”, and a dedicated team, using traditional detective methods with modern surveillance techniques, finally nabbed Sayyed.

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Senior Inspector Shahuraj Ranawre spearheaded the fresh investigation. “Our unit began actively pursuing the cold case around five months ago,” he said.

The team meticulously re-examined old records, examined witnesses and tracked down Moharam Ali's relatives, offering them a glimmer of hope after years of despair.

The search for Sayyed extended far beyond Palghar, and police activated informants across the district and Mumbai, and conducted extensive field checks in Sayyed's native town in Uttar Pradesh.

After “extensive groundwork and technical surveillance”, Sayyed was located in Talasari in Palghar district and taken into custody on Monday.

He has since been handed over to the Virar police, where he will face the charges.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)