The Delhi Police Crime Branch has arrested three members of a family who had been evading the law for 14 years after allegedly burning a woman alive in northeast Delhi’s Gokul Puri. The arrests, announced on Friday, bring closure to a case that dates back to 2010.
The accused—Mustafa, Masooma, and Zarrar Khan—were accused of setting Roshan Aara ablaze in her home. Following the brutal incident, an FIR was registered at the Gokul Puri Police Station. Shortly after the crime, the trio, who hail from Asansol in West Bengal, went into hiding, assuming fake identities and frequently changing locations across states to avoid capture.
Special Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Devesh Chandra Srivastva stated that the motive behind the crime remains unclear. In December 2011, the accused were declared “Proclaimed Offenders” by a court. Recently, a reward of ₹1.5 lakh (₹50,000 for each accused) was announced by the Delhi Police Commissioner for information leading to their arrest.
The breakthrough in the case came after extensive intelligence gathering, social media analysis, and scrutiny of call detail records. The police team discovered a key clue when they found a customer application form containing Mustafa’s photograph, despite altered personal details.
Mustafa, who had been living in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, under the alias Abdul Karim, was apprehended on December 11 around 5:30 am. During interrogation, he disclosed the whereabouts of Masooma, who was also in Jamshedpur under the fake identity of Reshma Hafiz. She was subsequently arrested.
Further questioning revealed that Zarrar Khan was hiding in Khoda Colony, Ghaziabad. A police team conducted a raid and apprehended him on December 12.
The accused have been handed over to the local police for further investigation. The case highlights the Delhi Police’s persistence in solving cold cases, as well as the lengths to which suspects will go to evade justice.
If you enjoyed reading this article then please share it and bookmark our website for latest updates.
