In a joint operation, the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) and Navi Mumbai Police arrested a murder accused near Panvel Railway Station. The accused had escaped from judicial custody in Deoria, Uttar Pradesh, back in 2022, and had been on the run ever since. A reward of Rs 50,000 had been offered for information leading to his arrest. According to police, the accused identified as Praveen Pal alias Pradeep Pal was accused of a murder in Uttar Pradesh and he was in Deoria Jail. On November 2, 2022, he was taken to hospital for treatment.
However, the accused dodged the police personnel engaged in security and fled from the hospital. According to police, the accused Pal had murdered a widow named Pooja, a resident of Ramkola area of Kushinagar district, to grab a piece of land. Pal is a resident of Inayat Nagar area of Ayodhya. Meanwhile, the Varanasi STF traced a call made by the accused and found the location near Panvel Railway station. Initially, the accused came to Mumbai and later hid in a chawl in Panvel, said police officials. A team of STF came to Panvel and arrested the accused near Panvel Railway station with the help of Navi Mumbai police on Tuesday.
Over the last four months, there have been at least five cases where arrested accused committed crimes in other cities or states and sought refuge in Navi Mumbai. Earlier, in a joint operation, Navi Mumbai police and the Crime Branch of Pune arrested six persons, including the main accused, in connection with the murder of gangster Sharad Mohol in January 2024, from Panvel and Vashi. They were discovered hiding in a farmhouse in Panvel. The Navi Mumbai, however, refuted claims that the city is a safe haven for criminals. They say that most of the accused arrested were crossing the city. “Navi Mumbai serves as the gateway to Mumbai, and all services available in Mumbai, such as trains, flights, and others, are accessible here. They might be using Navi Mumbai as an entry point to flee to other places,” said a senior official from Navi Mumbai police.