After 19 years on the run, Surat City Police have finally arrested Naresh Kesrimalji Rawal, the prime accused in a brutal 2007 robbery and murder case. Rawal was living under a false identity in Udupi, Karnataka, when the Special Operations Group (SOG) tracked and captured him.
According to Surat DCP Rajdeep Singh Nakum, Rawal carried a Rs 45,000 reward. “Back in 2007, while working as a driver, Rawal and his accomplices killed a security guard during a robbery. Our team traced him to Udupi, where he was finally apprehended,” said the DCP.
The crime occurred in Umra, Surat, when Rawal, then employed by a family whose sons lived abroad, orchestrated a deadly robbery. He enlisted Ravi Pandey, and informed partners-in-crime Vijay Gupta and Santosh Gupta. On the day of the crime, the gang held the elderly couple hostage and murdered the watchman who resisted. They escaped with gold and foreign currency worth over Rs2 lakh.
While Vijay and Santosh Gupta were arrested shortly after, Rawal and Pandey vanished without a trace, frequently moving between Mumbai, Chennai, Belgaum, and Uttara Kannada, assuming multiple identities.
Recent intelligence revealed Rawal living in Udupi as Nirmal Kesrimalji Korawar, working as a marble labourer and driver, and married to a local woman to further conceal his identity. SOG officers posed as South Indian traders, confirmed his identity, and carried out the arrest after days of surveillance.
Rawal also had a criminal history in Surat, including two housebreaking cases in 2005. His associate, Ravi Pandey, remains at large, and the investigation continues.
With his capture, a two-decade-long manhunt comes to a dramatic close, showcasing the persistence and strategy of Surat’s SOG.
