Ahmedabad: 38 years on, wheel of justice reaches cycle-rickshaw thief

Ahmedabad: The city crime branch on Monday arrested a 56-year-old man from Rajasthan in a 1988 case of cycle-rickshaw theft from Satellite.Amar Patel had allegedly stolen the rickshaw with his friend Gulabsinh Chauhan.

Patel was 18 at the time.An officer said that the home department prodded the crime branch to solve the case. The officer said the investigation was a challenge because no agency had a picture of Patel.The search for Patel became part of Operation Karavas, a drive to trace and arrest accused persons who had been absconding for years.Police conducted inquiries in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh to trace Patel.Chauhan died during the Covid pandemic, but from inquiries at his village, police learned that Patel was living with his family under an assumed identity in Indore and working at a tea stall.Police also learned that Patel would sometimes visit his village in Dungarpur.Before settling in Indore, Patel had worked at tea stalls and small hotels in Jodhpur and Bhopal.“Recently, Patel’s relative died, and he was supposed to visit his village for the last rites,” said the officer.

“He was caught when he arrived on June 22.”Patel was handed over to the Satellite police station and is likely to be granted bail.Officials said the arrest closes one of the oldest theft cases.==PointersLost rickshaw, hot pursuit• Crime branch arrested Amar Patel, 56, in a 1988 cycle-rickshaw theft case registered at the Satellite police station• Patel was 18 when the theft occurred.• A co-accused, Gulabsinh Chauhan, had been arrested earlier. He died during the Covid pandemic in 2021• Police didn’t have Patel’s picture• Investigation relied on names, addresses, and informants.• Police teams conducted inquiries in four states• Patel was detained during a visit to Rajasthan for a relative’s funeral