Pune: About 20 years after fugitive Ram Yallappa Sonawale (54) and 13 others had escaped from a police van near Mula road at Khadki, Crime Branch (CB) unit I officials caught him on Saturday. Ten accused have been nabbed earlier, while three others are still absconding.
Acting on a tip-off received by policemen Mohan Yelpale and Umesh Kate, a trap was laid by inspector Nitin Bhosale Patil near the parking lot at the Shivajinagar railway station and Sonawale was caught around 2 pm.
He was undergoing trial in an attempt to murder case at the time of his escape.
According to police, Sonawale lived in Shivajinagar railway station area, took up small-time jobs in Pune and Ahmednagar districts after escaping from the police custody.
The daring escape took place on September 10, 1998. Fourteen under trial prisoners including notorious criminal Santosh Ovhal — who was later killed in a police encounter — and Bhagwat Kale, an accused in the 1997 Patil family multiple murder case, had escaped from the police van. Ovhal and his accomplices had hatched the escape conspiracy.
One of the criminals ignited a matchstick and set ablaze his shirt while they were on their way to Yerwada central prison after attending the court proceedings at the district court.
