Assisted by Dehradun police and Uttarakhand special task force, Jharkhand police have arrested a hardened criminal Vikram Sharma, resident of Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, currently residing in Aman Vihar in Dehradun while eluding arrest on Saturday night. He was carrying a bounty of `30, 000 on his head as announced by Jharkhand police for his arrest.
Things moved after Jharkhand police contacted Dehradun police and STF, enquiring about the murder accused eluding arrest while remaining hidden somewhere in Dehradun.
In a joint operation involving Dehradun police, STF and Jharkhand police, the fugitive was arrested from Aman Vihar on Saturday night. While being grilled, the accused reportedly said that he had been residing in Aman Vihar since 2012. Police sources said that Sharma is a hardened criminal with several cases being tagged to him.
Observers say that the case reflects the state police in bad light as the criminal kept eluding arrest for five years while living somewhere in Dehradun.
“Police having no inkling of knowledge of the criminal staying in the city have exposed the poor state of the much-hyped verification drive.
It also confirms the poor functioning of the intelligence staffers who are supposed to keep watch on those coming from outside and settling here,” said an observer.