Arrested after 36 years: Did a Hindu man in UP convert to Islam to hide his brother’s killing?

New Delhi: A gripping saga of deception, disguise, and decades on the run has finally concluded in Uttar Pradesh with the arrest of a Hindu man converted to Islam to hide his identity.  Pradeep Kumar Saxena, a man accused of murdering his own brother 36 years ago, was arrested by police from Bareilly.

Saxena, who had smartly started a new life under a different name, altered appearance, and even a new religion, was apprehended, bringing an end to one of Bareilly's most prolonged cold cases.

The chilling crime dates back to 1987 in Bareilly, when Pradeep Kumar Saxena, then a local resident, allegedly stabbed his brother, Sanjeev Saxena, an employee of UPSRTC, to death. Following the brutal incident, Pradeep was arrested and charged with both murder and theft. However, he was granted bail in 1989, a decision that would inadvertently trigger a nearly four-decade-long manhunt.

Soon after his release, Pradeep vanished without a trace. Adding to the complexity, his family subsequently relocated multiple times, further obscuring his trail and making the police investigation a formidable challenge. The case languished for years, becoming a ghost in police records.

The turning point came only last month when the Allahabad High Court, expressing clear displeasure, sharply reprimanded the Bareilly Police and issued a stringent order to locate Pradeep within four weeks. This judicial directive injected new urgency into the dormant case. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Anurag Arya swiftly mobilised a special team, tasking them with the daunting mission of tracking down the long-lost fugitive.

Initial inquiries by the police team led to dead ends, with most of Pradeep's relatives claiming ignorance of his whereabouts. However, a crucial breakthrough emerged from an unlikely source, Pradeep's brother, Suresh. He offered a vital hint, suggesting Pradeep might be residing in Moradabad, working as a driver, and living under a different identity.

Armed with this lead, investigators delved deeper and uncovered an astonishing transformation. Pradeep had not only assumed a new name but had embraced an entirely new identity.

In 2002, he converted to Islam, adopting the name 'Abdul Rahim'. He had cultivated a beard, began wearing traditional kurta-pyjama, and even married a local widow named Salma, who passed away in 2023. Despite his elaborate facade, an interesting detail emerged. The locals in Moradabad's Katghar area still, perhaps out of habit or faint recognition, referred to him as "Saxena driver."

Acting on the verified intelligence, police tracked down the elusive 'Abdul Rahim' and arrested him. Confronted with his past, Pradeep reportedly confessed to the 1987 murder of his brother and admitted to spending decades on the run to evade justice.

While the police have confirmed his confession and subsequent arrest, they have yet to disclose whether his conversion to Islam was solely a strategic move to mask his identity or if other motives were at play. "The case has been presented in the court, and all possible angles are being investigated," stated police officials.

Pradeep Kumar Saxena, now Abdul Rahim, was presented before the Chief Judicial Magistrate in Bareilly on November 28 and has since been remanded to judicial custody.