Fugitive arrested after 32 years for 1994 murder

KENDRAPADA: Ending a 32-year manhunt, police on Friday night arrested a fugitive accused in a 1994 murder case, tracing him to a secret underground chamber inside his house in Jajpur district.

The accused, Rabindra Mallick, 58, of Nuahat village under Kuakhia police limits, allegedly killed his 27-year-old cousin Paramananda Mallick with an axe on Oct 21, 1994. He was 26 at the time.

Declared an absconder by a local court, Mallick had evaded arrest for 32 years by frequently changing locations and identities. Police said he procured Aadhaar and voter ID cards under a false identity, posing as a resident of Adamapur village. He worked as a mason in Hyderabad, Kerala and other places while maintaining contact with family members.

“Acting on a tip-off, we nabbed him from a hidden underground bunker in his house when he returned to the village to attend a family function,” said IIC of Kuakhia police station, Susanta Kumar Sethi. He had built the secret chamber to evade arrest, the officer added.

Mallick married Manjulata in 1998 during his years in hiding. He was produced in a local court on Saturday. His bail plea was rejected and he was remanded in judicial custody, police said.