In a dramatic end to a 36-year-long manhunt, Uttar Pradesh Police on Friday (Nov 29) arrested Pradeep Kumar Saxena, a Bareilly resident who murdered his brother in 1987 and then vanished while out on bail. In the decades that followed, Pradeep completely reinvented himself, changing his name, converting to Islam, altering his appearance, and building an entirely new life as “Abdul Rahim” in Moradabad.
The breakthrough came weeks after the Allahabad High Court reprimanded Bareilly Police, ordering them to trace the long-absconding accused within four weeks. The arrest brings closure to one of Uttar Pradesh’s most prolonged fugitive cases, marked by deliberate identity concealment, family silence, and a trail gone cold for decades.
Originally from Bareilly, Pradeep was arrested in 1987 for allegedly stabbing his brother Sanjeev Saxena, who worked with UPSRTC. The case involved charges of murder and theft. He secured bail in 1989, and then dropped out of sight forever.
Police records later revealed that Pradeep’s family moved multiple times over the years, further complicating tracking efforts. For decades, the case lay dormant, surviving only in old files and pending warrants, until the High Court intervened.
The case resurfaced last month when the Allahabad High Court strongly criticised Bareilly Police for failing to arrest Pradeep in nearly four decades. The court issued a strict directive: find him within four weeks.
Taking cognisance, Senior Superintendent of Police Anurag Arya constituted a special team to reopen the investigation. Officers revisited old leads, re-examined family networks, and searched for any hint of Pradeep’s presence.
When questioned, most of Pradeep’s relatives either claimed ignorance or refused to cooperate. But a crucial lead emerged from his brother Suresh, who suggested that Pradeep might be living somewhere in Moradabad, possibly under a new name and occupation.
Following the lead, investigators uncovered a stunning revelation: in 2002, Pradeep had converted to Islam, adopting the name Abdul Rahim. He grew a beard, changed his clothing style to kurta-pyjama, and integrated himself into Moradabad’s Katghar locality.
Despite his transformed appearance, locals often referred to him as “Saxena driver”, indicating that remnants of his original identity still lingered. Rahim worked as a driver and had married a widow named Salma, who died in 2023.
Police later confirmed that the identity change was intentional, a calculated attempt to permanently escape the legal system.
Acting swiftly, the police traced Rahim’s residence and apprehended him. During interrogation, he reportedly confessed to the murder and admitted to evading arrest for 36 years.
On November 28, he was produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate in Bareilly, which ordered his judicial custody. With the arrest, the long-pending murder case, spanning multiple districts, identities, and decades, has finally reached closure.
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