Delhi Police arrests life convict after 26 years in ₹1 crore kidnapping case
Synopsis
A life convict who vanished after being granted interim bail in 2000 — and built an entirely new identity as a builder in Dehradun — has been tracked down and arrested 26 years later by Delhi Police's Crime Branch. The 1995 kidnapping of Rishi Sethi near AIIMS, involving a ₹1 crore ransom, is one of the oldest active fugitive cases the ARSC has now closed.
Key Takeaways
Amit Yadav , 57 , arrested from Dehradun on 13 August after 26 years as a fugitive.
Convicted on 25 August 1999 and sentenced to life imprisonment for the 1995 kidnapping of Rishi Sethi .
Kidnappers had demanded ₹1 crore ransom; ₹10 lakh was recovered from Yadav at the time of his original arrest in Meerut .
Yadav jumped bail in January 2000 and was declared a proclaimed offender after the Delhi High Court dismissed his appeal in December 2000 .
He allegedly assumed a new identity and became a builder in Dehradun to evade detection.
Yadav has been lodged in Tihar Jail following his arrest.
The Delhi Police Crime Branch has arrested a life convict who spent 26 years as a fugitive in a 31-year-old kidnapping case involving a ransom demand of ₹1 crore. The accused, Amit Yadav, 57, a resident of Dehradun, Uttarakhand, was apprehended on the night of 13 August by the Anti-Robbery and Snatching Cell (ARSC) of the Crime Branch.
The Original Crime
The case traces back to 12 September 1995, when Rishi Sethi was abducted near the residence of the Director of AIIMS, New Delhi, at around 7 pm. Three to four individuals allegedly overpowered, assaulted, blindfolded, and abducted Sethi in his own vehicle. He was subsequently taken to an undisclosed location and illegally confined while his kidnappers demanded ₹1 crore in ransom from his family.
Acting on the kidnappers' instructions, ₹10 lakh was deposited in Room No. 221 of Hotel Mayur in Meerut. On 16 September 1995, Yadav was apprehended in Meerut after allegedly collecting the ransom money — the entire ₹10 lakh was recovered from his possession. Based on disclosures made during interrogation, police traced the victim to a rented house at R-63, Raj Kunj, Raj Nagar, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, where Sethi was found chained inside a storeroom and safely rescued.
Conviction and Disappearance
A case was registered under FIR No. 716/1995 on 13 September 1995 at Patel Nagar Police Station, Delhi, under multiple sections of the IPC including 364A (kidnapping for ransom), 368, 394, 506, 323, 201, and 34. Yadav was formally arrested on 17 September 1995 and, on 25 August 1999, was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment with a fine of ₹2.50 lakh.
He filed Criminal Appeal No. 569/1999 before the Delhi High Court, which granted him interim bail on 15 January 2000 for one month. Yadav failed to surrender after the bail period expired and went absconding. On 13 December 2000, the Delhi High Court dismissed his appeal and upheld the conviction. He was subsequently declared a proclaimed offender, with a reward of ₹5,000 announced for information leading to his arrest.
How He Evaded Capture for 26 Years
According to police, Yadav systematically dismantled his traceable identity after absconding. He vacated his rented accommodation in Ghaziabad, sold his ancestral property in Village Saidpur, Baghpat district, Uttar Pradesh, and severed all known links on Delhi Police records. He initially shifted to Rishikesh, frequently changing hideouts, before relocating to Dehradun in 2001, where he allegedly assumed a new identity and entered the construction business, eventually establishing himself as a builder.
The Arrest Operation
Fresh intelligence placed Yadav at a hideout in Dehradun. A raiding team led by Inspector Robin Tyagi, comprising ASI Sanjeev Kumar, ASI Sachin Singh, Head Constable Mintu Yadav, and Head Constable Sawai Singh of ARSC, Shakarpur, Crime Branch, was constituted to trace and detain him. The team arrested Yadav on the night of 13 August from Dehradun. He has since been lodged in Tihar Jail, and the concerned local police station has been informed for further legal proceedings.
Point of View
Undisturbed. The ₹5,000 reward declared in 2000 — a figure that was negligible even then — reflects how little institutional urgency was attached to recapturing convicted criminals who jump bail. The Delhi High Court dismissed Yadav's appeal in December 2000, meaning there was no legal ambiguity about his status, yet enforcement lagged by a quarter century. As courts grapple with overcrowded dockets and police with stretched resources, cases like this raise a harder question: how many other proclaimed offenders with confirmed convictions are living undisturbed in plain sight?
NationPress
17 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Amit Yadav and why was he arrested?
Amit Yadav, 57, is a life convict arrested by the Delhi Police Crime Branch from Dehradun on 13 August for absconding for 26 years. He had been convicted in 1999 for the 1995 kidnapping of Rishi Sethi and sentenced to life imprisonment, but fled after being granted interim bail in January 2000.
What was the 1995 kidnapping case about?
On 12 September 1995, Rishi Sethi was abducted near the AIIMS Director's residence in New Delhi and held captive in a rented house in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. The kidnappers demanded ₹1 crore in ransom; ₹10 lakh was recovered from Yadav when he was first arrested in Meerut in September 1995.
How did Amit Yadav evade arrest for 26 years?
According to police, Yadav vacated his Ghaziabad residence, sold his ancestral property in Baghpat, and allegedly changed his identity after absconding. He moved to Rishikesh and later Dehradun, where he reportedly entered the construction business and established himself as a builder.
What is the current legal status of Amit Yadav?
Yadav's conviction and life sentence were upheld by the Delhi High Court on 13 December 2000 after it dismissed his criminal appeal. Following his arrest on 13 August, he has been lodged in Tihar Jail and further legal proceedings are underway.
Who carried out the arrest operation?
The arrest was executed by a team from the Anti-Robbery and Snatching Cell (ARSC), Crime Branch, led by Inspector Robin Tyagi, along with ASI Sanjeev Kumar, ASI Sachin Singh, Head Constable Mintu Yadav, and Head Constable Sawai Singh.
