17 Years Later: Accused in Delhi Minor Kidnapping and Rape Case Held

Delhi Police have arrested a 42-year-old man who had been absconding for 17 years after being accused of kidnapping and raping a minor girl in the national capital, officials said on Thursday.

The accused, identified as Irshad Ahmed alias Sonu , was apprehended from his native village in Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh , following a prolonged manhunt. He had been declared a proclaimed offender and carried a reward of ₹25,000 on his arrest.

According to police, the case was registered at Bindapur Police Station on April 9, 2009. The complainant, who operated a boutique, alleged that Ahmed, then employed as a tailor at the establishment, had kidnapped her 17-year-old daughter with the intention of marrying her and sexually assaulted her.

Soon after the alleged crime, Ahmed went into hiding and repeatedly evaded arrest. A Delhi court declared him a proclaimed offender on May 25, 2011 , after police failed to trace him.

Investigators later discovered that Ahmed had obtained a passport from Chandigarh while absconding and left for Kuwait in 2011 . He reportedly worked as a tailor in a boutique there and spent several years in the Gulf nation. Police said he rarely visited India, making efforts to apprehend him particularly difficult.

The Crime Branch reopened the case, examined old records, and developed fresh leads. During the investigation, officers learned that Ahmed had returned to his village on June 3 to attend a family function and was expected to fly back to Kuwait by the end of the month.

Acting on the intelligence, a police team laid a trap and arrested him on June 16 , bringing an end to the 17-year-long search.

Further legal proceedings are underway, police said.