A 45-year-old man, who was on the run for over 20 years after being sentenced to life imprisonment in a 2001 murder case under the Pattinampakkam police limits, was arrested by the Greater Chennai Police on Thursday.
The accused, identified as D. Appandhas, a resident of Vengaivasal, was nabbed by a special team of the Organised Crime Cell (OCC) led by Inspector Pradeep. Police said the team had been tracking him for months using surveillance and undercover operations before arresting him at Medavakkam.
According to the police, the case dates back to 2001, when a man named Ragu was murdered within the Pattinampakkam police limits. Appandhas, along with Dileep (alias Dileepkumar) and Senthil (alias Kerala Senthil), was arrested along with five others in connection with the crime.
After the trial, the VI Additional Sessions Court in Chennai convicted the trio and sentenced them to life imprisonment on September 16, 2003, while acquitting the remaining five accused. The convicts later filed an appeal in the Madras High Court.
While he came out on bail on June 21, 2004, Appandhas absconded and had been on the run since then. The Madras High Court, on April 20, 2006, dismissed the appeal and confirmed the life sentence for all three.
The police said Appandhas had been hiding in various states during this period to evade arrest. He was also found to be a history-sheeter with multiple previous cases registered against him at the Pattinampakkam police station.
Published – November 07, 2025 12:47 am IST
