Fugitive Auto Driver Nabbed After 2 Years on the Run

An auto-rickshaw driver, Pardeshi Prajapati (36), has been arrested in Mira Road on August 22, nearly two years after he allegedly sexually assaulted a minor and fled Mumbai in October 2024. Police successfully traced Prajapati after he used a new SIM card, obtained with a friend's documentation, to call his wife. The friend's name appearing on Truecaller allowed investigators to identify the accused's alias and location through technical analysis.

Prajapati and his family had reportedly deleted social media history, discarded old phones, and acquired new SIMs using friends' documents. His family allegedly assisted him in hiding and alerted him about police visits to his Uttar Pradesh village. Despite police efforts, including multiple visits to his village and a pursuit that crossed the Uttar Pradesh-Nepal border, Prajapati evaded capture for an extended period.

He returned to the Thane rural area, believing police were focused on his village in Uttar Pradesh, and worked as a driver using a rented rickshaw. Prajapati stated he returned due to financial necessity, as earning Rs 150 daily in his village was insufficient for his five children, compared to Rs 500 to Rs 700 daily in Mumbai and Thane. The victim's father filed the case on October 9, 2024, after Prajapati allegedly took the minor to Pune and established physical relations under a false promise of marriage before fleeing Mumbai.

The accused was booked under BNS provisions for aggravated sexual assault and kidnapping, and under the Pocso Act. He was produced before the Dindoshi court on Thursday after five days of police custody and has been sent to judicial custody for 14 days.