Ex-Navy Murder Suspect Faking Death Caught After 20 Years

Ex-Navy Murder Suspect Faking Death Caught After 20 Years. Image/NDTV

In a startling turn of events, a former Navy employee, who had successfully hidden under a false identity for almost two decades, was apprehended by Delhi Police for the alleged murder of a man and the horrific burning of two others in a chilling incident dating back to 2004.

The Elusive ‘Aman Singh’: Balesh Kumar’s Double Life

Balesh Kumar, now 60 years old, was arrested by Delhi Police after receiving a tip that a man sought in connection with a 2004 murder in Delhi’s Bawana locality was living incognito in Najafgarh, nearly 30 kilometers away. For nearly 20 years, Kumar had gone by the name Aman Singh and had carved out a new life as a property dealer, concealing his dark past from everyone around him, according to senior Delhi Police crime branch officer Ravinder Yadav.

Unveiling the Grim Past: A Life of Deceit and Crime

Upon Kumar’s arrest and subsequent investigation, chilling and gruesome details of his past emerged. Born in Haryana, Kumar had only completed his education up to Class 8 before enlisting in the Navy in 1981, retiring in 1996. After his military service, he ventured into the transport business and settled with his family in Delhi’s Uttam Nagar.Kumar confessed to the police that in 2004, he and his brother Sunder Lal had strangled a man named Rajesh in Delhi’s Samaypur Badli. The motive behind this brutal crime was an alleged extramarital affair between Kumar and Rajesh’s wife, which escalated into a deadly altercation during a drinking session. In a state of intoxication, Kumar and his brother choked Rajesh, leading to his demise.

Escape Plan Gone Awry: A Trail of Destruction

In the aftermath of the murder, Kumar concocted a daring escape plan. He hired two laborers, Manoj and Mukesh, from Bihar, luring them with the promise of employment. The trio then embarked on a journey to Rajasthan using a truck owned by Kumar’s brother. Tragically, at Jodhpur, Kumar allegedly set the truck ablaze with the two laborers inside, leaving them with no chance of survival.

To further cement his false demise, Kumar left behind his identification documents in the burning truck. The police arrived at the scene, identifying one of the charred bodies as Kumar’s, while the other victim remained unidentified.

Twisted Deception: A Web of Fraud and Beneficiaries

At the time, during the investigation into Rajesh’s murder, Sunder Lal was apprehended, while Kumar’s apparent death in the truck fire was established. Kumar’s wife was awarded his pension benefits and life insurance payout, which she received without suspicion. Even the insurance for the burnt truck was redirected to his wife. Kumar’s criminal past and concealed identity remained hidden from the authorities until his luck finally ran out.In the light of these revelations, Delhi Police have now urged their counterparts in Jodhpur to reopen the long-dormant case of the truck fire, shedding new light on a gruesome crime that had remained buried in the past.