The long-running saga of Tarun Jinaraj, accused of murdering his wife on Valentine's Day in 2003, took another turn as the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch successfully arrested him in the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi. The arrest came after Jinaraj failed to return to jail following a temporary bail granted by the Gujarat High Court.
He was apprehended in Najafgarh, Delhi, after undergoing a transformation that involved shaving his hair and getting a neck tattoo. During this time, he was also in the midst of obtaining a new Aadhaar card under his altered identity.
Tarun Jinaraj had initially been arrested in 2008, ending a 15-year period of evasion, during which he managed to assume a new identity, remarry, and reside in Bengaluru with his second wife and their two children. This time, he managed to jump bail once again, despite stringent conditions.
ALSO READ: A crooked finger and handshake help Ahmedabad Police crack a 15-year-old murder case
In July of this year, the Gujarat High Court granted Jinaraj a two-week temporary bail on the pretext of accessing his provident funds in Bengaluru. Under the terms of his bail, he was required to regularly update local police officials in Karnataka about his whereabouts and make bi-weekly visits to the nearest police station. However, he exploited these conditions to make his escape.
The Ahmedabad district court had issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against Jinaraj, and a lookout circular issued to determine if he has used a fake identity and passport to flee the country.
Tarun Jinaraj's alleged crime dates back to April 14, 2003, when he allegedly strangled his wife, Sajni Krishnan, just three months after their wedding. He carried out this horrific act to pursue a relationship with his girlfriend from before his marriage.
According to the police, Tarun strangled her with a dupatta, and made it look like a burglary gone wrong. He played the part of the grieving husband to perfection; he even got himself admitted to a hospital.
After the murder, he successfully assumed a new identity, entered into a second marriage, and settled in Bengaluru for six years.
Authorities finally caught up with him in 2008, but this recent escape has raised questions about how he managed to elude capture once again. Victim's parents, represented by advocate Bhadrish Raju, have expressed their disappointment and called for swift action to bring Jinaraj to justice.