Murder Convict Arrested 23 Years After Parole in Ahmedabad

A 62-year-old man, convicted of murder and gang kidnapping, was arrested in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, 23 years after he jumped parole. Ravindra Pande, who was part of the "Birju Gij and Ravindra Pande" gang, had been sentenced to life imprisonment for the kidnap and murder of a 16-year-old boy in 1992. After failing to return to prison after a 14-day parole leave, an offence was registered against him, and he was tracked down to a village in Ahmedabad district, where he was living under a fictitious name.

Key Takeaways:

• Ravindra Pande, a 62-year-old murder convict, was arrested in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, 23 years after he jumped parole.
• Pande was part of the "Birju Gij and Ravindra Pande" gang that kidnapped and murdered a 16-year-old boy, Vaibhav Katyare, in 1992.
• The police team spent two days searching for Pande in Ahmedabad district, tracing him to Kuha village in Daskroi taluka.
• Pande was living under the fictitious name 'Rajubhai Jadhav, alias Fauji', and claimed to have no connection to the murder.
• The police finally identified him after interrogation, and he admitted to being Pande.
• Five persons, including Pande, were convicted of the murder and sentenced to life imprisonment in 1994.
• Pande was on a 14-day parole leave in 1998, but failed to return to prison, leading to an offence being registered against him.

Statistics:

• 23 years: the duration for which Ravindra Pande remained at large after jumping parole.
• 1992: the year in which the murder victim, Vaibhav Katyare, was kidnapped and killed.
• 1994: the year in which the five convicts, including Pande, were sentenced to life imprisonment.
• Rs2 lakh: the ransom demanded by the kidnappers from the victim's parents.
• 14 days: the duration of Ravindra Pande's parole leave, during which he failed to return to prison.

Sources:

• The Times of India, Nashik