Murder accused from Sagar caught:Tracked down after they made calls to girlfriends; 32 accomplices jailed

After the arrest of Yash Soni and Manu Soni, the main accused in the Mayank Sahu murder case in Sagar, several revelations have come to light regarding their one-month abscondence. After the murder, both accused, along with their accomplice Om Ahirwar, traveled across seven states. They survived by relying on langar (community kitchens) at Tirupati Balaji and Mathura-Vrindavan. When they ran out of money, the accused committed robberies. The police broke their supply line by sending 32 of their helpers to jail and tracked their location through their girlfriends’ mobile numbers. Both accused, who had evaded the police for a month, were arrested as soon as they returned to Sagar, while the third accused, Om Ahirwar, is still absconding. Important information about their activities during their abscondence has emerged from police investigation and interrogation of the accused. Friendship broke, then enmity took a life On the night of 21 May, in the Gond Babba Chabutra area of Vivekananda Ward, Motinagar police station jurisdiction, Mayank Sahu and his brother Om Sahu had a dispute with Yash Soni. The accused fired with illegal weapons. Mayank Sahu died after being shot. Police investigation revealed that eight accused were involved in the incident. In the initial action, five accused were arrested and sent to jail. The main accused Yash Soni, Manu Soni and Om Ahirwar absconded. Mayank Sahu and the accused, Yash and Manu, were once close friends. All three lived together. A few years ago, a dispute over a girl occurred, and their paths diverged. Meanwhile, Yash’s brother Jai Soni was murdered, which further escalated tensions between the two parties. According to police investigation, this old enmity culminated in the murder of Mayank Sahu on the night of 21 May. Absconded from Tirupati to Mathura with the help of langar Police investigation revealed that during their escape, the accused kept travelling, visiting Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh. According to police officials, the accused initially had some cash, but constantly changing locations quickly depleted their money. After this, they reached Tirupati Balaji in Andhra Pradesh, where they stayed for several days. Here, they saved expenses by eating food at the langar. After Tirupati, the accused reached Mathura-Vrindavan. There too, they relied on food available at religious places. Investigation revealed that during their escape, they also stayed in Indore, Pithampur, Ashoknagar, and Katni. When they money ran out, the accused committed crimes During their escape, the biggest problem for the accused was money. According to police sources, to cover their expenses, they again chose the path of crime. Investigation revealed that the accused committed a robbery in Ashoknagar. Additionally, their involvement in criminal incidents in the Ashta and Pithampur areas also came to light. After the arrest, Sagar Police informed the police of the concerned districts. They would change location before the police arrived The arrest of the accused was not easy for the police. The police received their location multiple times, but each time they managed to escape. According to sources, the police first received their location in Delhi. The team reached Delhi, but before that, the accused received information about the police’s activities and left the location. This sequence of events was repeated several times. This made the police suspect that some people from Sagar were continuously providing information to the accused. Action against 32 helpers As the investigation progressed, the police came to know that a large network was operating. The accused’s associates and supporters were providing them with money, hideouts, and information about police activities. After this, the police started identifying the close associates of the accused. During the investigation, 32 people were arrested and sent to jail, who were directly or indirectly helping the absconding accused. After action was taken against the helpers, the supply line of the accused was almost cut off. They were neither getting money nor safe hideouts. The biggest clue was found through girlfriends When the routes of their helpers were blocked, the accused started staying in touch with their acquaintances and girlfriends. The police initiated a technical investigation and put the mobile numbers associated with them under surveillance. During the investigation, some numbers came to light on which suspicious conversations were taking place. The police traced the location of these numbers and interrogated the concerned young women. Meanwhile, information was received that a young woman was going to meet the accused. The police increased surveillance, but the accused got wind of it and changed their hideout again. However, due to continuous technical surveillance, the police were closing in on them. Upon reaching jail, criminals’ records were scrutinised In search of the absconding accused, the police adopted a different strategy. The police team reached the central jail and gathered information about whom Yash and Manu were in contact with while in jail. Some names emerged from jail records and interrogations, through whom the police reached Bhopal and Indore. Several suspects were also interrogated there. This provided the police with important information about the accused’s network and potential hideouts. Returned to Sagar and got caught in the trap After continuous pressure, financial crisis, and the breakdown of their helpers’ network, the accused started preparing to return to Sagar. The police had received information about their return. Meanwhile, news was received that some suspicious youths had alighted on the railway track near the Bamhori Renguwan area. The police cordoned off the area. Seeing the police, the accused started fleeing. While fleeing, Manu Soni jumped from an under-construction bridge, approximately 50 feet high, sustaining serious injuries to his hands and feet. During this, Yash and Om managed to escape from there. After this, the police continued the chase and arrested Yash Soni from Lalitpur, Uttar Pradesh, on Sunday. Om Ahirwar is still absconding. Were collecting money for mother and sister’s bail According to the police, during his abscondence, Yash Soni’s biggest concern was the bail of his mother and Manu Soni’s sister. Yash’s mother is in jail after being arrested in a murder case, while Manu’s sister has been sent to jail in a drug case. The accused stated that they were trying to collect money for bail. With this objective, they were planning a major robbery at a finance company. For this, some criminals from Sagar, Indore, and Uttar Pradesh had been contacted. According to police records, Yash Soni and Manu Soni are habitual offenders. Both of them have cases registered against them for murder, attempted murder, assault, and other serious crimes. Twenty-five criminal cases are registered against Manu Soni and eight against Yash Soni. Both have been associated with the active Cutter Gang in Sagar. It is said that they had formed groups of youths with names like “0001” and “Ch ???? Gang”, which also included several minors.