Proclaimed offender held

Nearly four years after Vikas Kumar was declared a proclaimed offender (PO) by a court, the Kandaghat police managed to arrest him on October 30 from Indore. Solan SP Gaurav Singh said, “Vikas, a resident of J&K, has been nabbed in a case of stalking registered in 2018. Also, a special campaign has been initiated by the Solan police to nab such offenders.”

Kumar, who hails from J&K’s Doda district, was booked under Section 209 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita after his arrest for nonappearance in response to a proclamation by the Kandaghat police. Further probe in the matter is underway.

A woman residing in Kandaghat had complained of Vikas stalking her. He had also been sending obscene messages on her cell phone on April 3, 2018. Following this, a case was registered under Sections 354D and 506 of the IPC by the police.

However, Vikas continued to evade arrest for years and was declared a proclaimed offender by a court on December 21, 2020.

Solan SP stated that Kumar’s past record was being investigated and he has been sent to judicial custody by a court. He added that the Solan police was keen to probe all such past cases and bring the offenders to book.