Absconding contractor, accused of killing employee in 2018, arrested: Police

New Delhi [India], April 5 (ANI): Delhi Police Crime Branch Cyber Cell has arrested a fugitive contractor who had been absconding since 2018 after murdering his employee from Gaya, Bihar. The accused has been identified as Lakshman Prasad.
"Cyber Cell of the Crime Branch, Daryaganj has traced and arrested a fugitive Contractor Lakshman Prasad (40 years) resident of District Nawada, Bihar from Gaya, Bihar, who had been absconding since 2018 after committing a brutal murder of his employee, a daily wage earner, in PS Mandawali, Delhi area," as per an official release.
In 2018, Lakshman Prasad, along with his nephew, murdered their employee Ram Pravesh for demanding his rightful wages. A case of murder was registered at Police Station Mandawali, and the accused was absconding since registration of FIR, hence was declared a Proclaimed Offender by the Hon'ble Court in 2019.
"With surveillance and advanced tracking efforts, he successfully pinpointed the movements of Lakshman Prasad in Bihar. It was further revealed that he is changing his hideouts frequently. Acting swiftly, a team of Crime Branch strategically laid traps at multiple locations in Bihar, leading to the successful apprehension of the accused from Gaya, Bihar," the release read.
The accused Lakshman Prasad, a graduate from Bihar was working as a contractor of Plaster of Paris (POP) work in Delhi. In 2018, he was working in the Mandawali area of East Delhi and several daily wages earners were also working under his supervision including the deceased, Ram Pravesh.
"Ram Pravesh had been persistently demanding his pending wages, which were not paid to him in a timely manner. This led to frequent confrontations and heated arguments between the deceased and the accused. The situation escalated over time, and Ram Pravesh allegedly began publicly confronting and pressuring Lakshman Prasad for payment," the release read.
Feeling humiliated and angered by the repeated altercations, Lakshman Prasad hatched a plan with his nephew, Murari, to eliminate the victim. On the pretext of settling the matter, Lakshman Prasad fraudulently called Ram Pravesh to a specific location. When the victim arrived, he was attacked with a knife by both Lakshman and Murari, resulting in serious injuries. Before succumbing to his injuries, Ram Pravesh gave a dying declaration in the hospital, naming both the accused - Lakshman Prasad and Murari - as the perpetrators of the attack.
"Following the incident, both accused persons absconded from the scene and managed to evade arrest. Despite multiple efforts by local police, Lakshman Prasad remained untraceable and was therefore declared a Proclaimed Offender by the Hon'ble Court in 2019. After fleeing from Delhi, he continued working as a POP contractor in various towns and cities, frequently changing his location to avoid detection and arrest," as per the release. (ANI)