Man wanted in a murder case in Tiruvottiyur apprehended after 19 years

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A 39-year-old man wanted in connection with a 2007 murder case in Tiruvottiyur was arrested after remaining absconding for nearly 19 years following a court warrant.

The police identified the accused as Sheikh Abdullah, 39, of Thirumullaivoyal. He was among five persons arrested in 2007 in connection with the murder of Pandiyamani in Tiruvottiyur and was remanded in judicial custody. After securing bail, Abdullah failed to appear before the Fourth Additional Court, Ponneri, Tiruvallur district. In 2010, the court issued a warrant for his arrest and production.

A special team from the Serious Crime Squad-North, under the supervision of an Assistant Commissioner of Police, launched a search for Abdullah. The team used his photograph taken at the time of his arrest in 2007, along with modern technology, to generate updated images of his appearance. The police also made enquiries through social media and in areas where he had previously lived. After gathering information on his whereabouts, the team kept him under surveillance and arrested him at Thirumullaivoyal.

The police said Abdullah had changed his residence several times after securing bail, worked for a private company, and married a woman before eventually settling in Thirumullaivoyal.

Abdullah is also a history-sheeter at the Tiruvottiyur police station. He was handed over to the Tiruvottiyur police, produced before the court after inquiry, and remanded in judicial custody.

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