Thane Murder Accused Absconding For 14 Years Arrested In Surat
The fugitive in the 2011 Shiv Sena office attack was finally caught in Gujarat.
A long-time fugitive wanted in connection with a high-profile murder at a Shiv Sena office in Maharashtra's Thane district has been arrested in Surat, Gujarat, ending a 14-year manhunt, police announced on Wednesday. The case dates back to November 24, 2011, when unidentified assailants opened fire inside the Shiv Sena office in the Ambernath area, a bustling industrial suburb about 60 km from Mumbai.
In the attack, Shyamsundar Yadav, a bodyguard to a local Shiv Sena leader, was fatally shot, sparking immediate outrage amid rising political tensions in the region. Shiv Sena, a prominent regional party founded in 1966 by Bal Thackeray, has long been influential in Maharashtra politics, often entangled in disputes involving local power struggles and organised crime.
Following the incident, Shivajinagar police station registered a first information report (FIR) against unknown persons under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including murder (Section 302), destruction of evidence (Section 201), and criminal conspiracy (Section 120B). The probe revealed links to inter-gang rivalries, common in Thane's volatile political landscape during the early 2010s, when Shiv Sena was navigating alliances ahead of state elections.
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Over the years, several suspects were apprehended, with one killed in a police encounter, but Rajesh Ramshiromani Shukla, 51, eluded capture by frequently changing hideouts across states. Described as a key conspirator in the plot, Shukla's evasion tactics frustrated investigators until recent breakthroughs. Leveraging technical surveillance, mobile tracking, and human intelligence, a special team from Thane's crime branch zeroed in on his location in Surat, a major diamond trading hub in Gujarat.
On Tuesday evening, officers laid a discreet trap near a residential area in Surat and apprehended Shukla without resistance. He is being brought back to Thane for formal arrest and interrogation, with police anticipating further disclosures on the network behind the 2011 attack. Authorities hailed the operation as a testament to persistent policing, while Shiv Sena leaders in Ambernath expressed relief, calling it a step toward justice for Yadav's family.
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