CBI Arrests Proclaimed Offender Involved in 2005 College Student Murder Case

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has apprehended a proclaimed offender linked to the abduction and killing of Shyamal Mandal, a student at the College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram, in 2005. Durga Bahadur Bhat Chetri, also known as Deepak, who had been evading authorities, was captured on Friday, as per the CBI.
Investigations disclosed that the perpetrator, Durga Bahadur Bhat Chetri, assumed a false identity as Suraj B. Bhatt, married, and settled in Nagpur after the crime. He, along with accomplice Mohammed Ali from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, was found responsible for the murder.
Durga Bahadur Bhat Chetri had been on the run since 2005. Despite the CBI filing a chargesheet against him and Mohammed Ali, Chetri remained at large, leading to his declaration as a Proclaimed Offender by the trial court.
The trial of Mohammed Ali has concluded, resulting in his conviction in 2022. The CBI took over the case in 2008 following a Kerala High Court directive, transferring the investigation from local authorities to the CBI.