Omprakash alias Pasha, also known as "Bajrang Bali" and "Fauji" in Ghaziabad's Harbans Nagar, was busy preparing for a role in an upcoming local film, Chorra Jaat UP Ka, when cops arrived at his door and arrested him in the early hours of Monday morning - for a murder he allegedly committed nearly three decades ago.
He was absonding for about 30 years in multiple cases of murder and theft.
Omprakash is from Naraina village in Panipat's Samalkha tehsil and served in the Indian Army's Signal Corps. According to Haryana Special Task Force officials, he began petty crime in the mid- and late-1980s, stealing cars, two-wheelers, and a sewing machine. After being detained and released on bail, he was released from the Indian Army in 1988 for being absent from duty after 12 years of service.
Omprakash and his partner were booked on January 15, 1992 for allegedly killing a motorcyclist during a looting bid in Bhiwani. But after the murder they soon went off the radar and started a new life by acting in regional and Bhojpuri films in Uttar Pradesh.
So far he has acted in 28 films with titles such as Takrav, Dabang Chhora UP Ka, Jhatka, Maa Baap ki Bhul, and 5 Kunwariyan, said police.
“He was preparing for a dance sequence for an upcoming film, which is inspired by a Dev Anand song sequence,” said a police officer, requesting anonymity.
"He worked in regional films for the last 15 years. He would do small side roles like a sarpanch or a constable for Rs 5,000-6,000. He was trying hard to run from the past and start a new life with no criminal baggage. But if you have committed a crime, you will be punished", said sub-inspector Vivek Kumar.
"Since the murder, he has severed all ties with his family in Panipat." He divorced his first wife, with whom he had a daughter, and avoided visiting his village in fear of being arrested. He abandoned the criminal underworld to focus on his family, raising two daughters and a boy. He worked odd jobs, including day labor. "He drove tempos and trucks for at least seven years," a police officer said.
The search for Om Prakash began last year after STF started probing wanted criminals in Haryana who had disappeared.
The lead on him came out of the blue two months ago, when Om Prakash made a WhatsApp call to his brother in Panipat. Once the STF had his number, they were able to track his location through surveillance.
Omprakash was handed over to Bhiwani police for further investigation. Aside from the murder case, he was charged with car theft in Sonipat in 1986, motorcycle theft in Panipat in 1990, machine theft in Panipat in 1990, and theft of a Bajaj Chetak scooter in Kharkhoda Sonipat in 1990.
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