Delhi Police's Crime Branch Inter-State Cell (ISC) has arrested Sadhana alias Pooja, a life convict who had been absconding for over 20 years after jumping parole in 2006. She was apprehended from Haridwar on 27 September 2026, living under an assumed identity after changing her name.

The Original Crime

Sadhana was convicted under Sections 364, 302 and 120-B of the IPC — kidnapping, murder, and criminal conspiracy — in connection with the abduction and killing of a 10-year-old child in 1990. According to investigators, the child went missing from Azadpur T-Point on 6 January 1990. Witnesses Jagdish Chand and Vasdev reportedly saw Sadhana holding the child's hand near G.T. Road at around 5.30 pm that day.

Sadhana and co-accused Raj Kumar were later apprehended from Jahangir Puri. The two were found to be living together without being legally married — an arrangement opposed by Balwant Ram, the deceased child's father. Investigators determined that this earlier dispute had bred resentment and led to the decision to take revenge, culminating in the child's kidnapping and murder.

During trial, Sadhana was identified as the last person seen with the deceased. She was also found to have concealed Raj Kumar's presence at her home and played an active role in the conspiracy. The conviction was upheld by the appellate court, and she was sentenced to life imprisonment. She had been lodged in Central Jail since 9 January 1990.

How She Evaded Capture for Two Decades

Sadhana was released on parole on 27 December 2005, which was extended by three weeks on medical grounds. However, she failed to surrender on 18 January 2006 and remained at large thereafter. Over the following two decades, she systematically constructed a new identity: she initially stayed with Raj Kumar, later took up employment at a private company in Noida, where she met a carpenter named Keshav. She subsequently moved to Mukundpur in Delhi and lived with him for roughly five years before relocating to Haridwar. She later married Keshav in a temple and used his name in official documents to further obscure her identity.

The Operation That Led to Her Arrest

The Crime Branch deployed sustained intelligence efforts — including human intelligence, outreach to old associates, and tracing of family links — to track Sadhana's movements. A specific lead pointing to her presence in Haridwar under a false name was discreetly verified before the operation was launched.

A team comprising SI Amit Kumar, ASI Suresh Gupta, Head Constables Brijesh Kumar and Dinesh Kumar, Woman Head Constable Manisha, and Woman Constable Heera, operating under the supervision of Inspector Pankaj Malik and overall supervision of ACP Ramesh Chander Lamba, proceeded to Haridwar. Following ground verification and discreet surveillance, the team confirmed her identity and effected her arrest on 27 September.

What Happens Next

With Sadhana now in custody, she is expected to be produced before the relevant court for further legal proceedings. Her re-arrest after more than two decades on the run underscores ongoing efforts by Delhi Police's ISC to trace long-absconding convicts — and raises broader questions about parole monitoring mechanisms that allowed her to remain undetected for so long.