Dedicated police teams on watch for 8 yrs but key accused still on the run | Mumbai News

On December 12, 2015, the bodies of renowned artist Hema Upadhyaya (43) and her lawyer Harish Bhambani (65) were found in a drain in Kandivali in suburban Mumbai. They were appeared to have been killed the previous day. Hema’s former husband Chintan — a celebrated contemporary artist, was arrested along with three others.

Rajbhar, a metal fabrication artist, who used to take on fabrication jobs for Chintan’s artworks — a key accused in the murder case, has been on the run since. Investigators found that he first took a train northward with other accused and alighted mid-way and escaped. An officer from the Crime Branch said, “Rajbhar’s daughter’s birthday is on October 20. She was barely two months old when the incident happened and he fled. We expected him to call on her first birthday. Accordingly teams were laid but he did not call. Since then every year, we expected him to call and a team is assigned at their residence. But he didn’t.”

The agency checked if he was meeting his daughter at the school premises. Investigators hope that Rajbhar’s patience will wear out and he would call home sooner or later as he is not a hardcore criminal. They have been keeping a watch on phone calls to his residence and other relatives, on his daughter’s birthday, on his wedding anniversary and other family events. “We even have been scrutinising calls from suspicious phone numbers but havent got any lead,” said an officer.

Eight special teams were formed to trace Rajbhar in different locations, starting with Madhya Pradesh. “Initially we got his location in Madhya Pradesh, so a team was sent there. Then a different team was sent to Kochi and Tripura. Rajbhar kept travelling by train and we could never get his exact location,” said an officer.

February 2, 2016 was the last time that police got specific clue about his location. A team was dispatched to Chennai after he made a phone call to his brother-in-law, asking whether police were still looking for him. But he escaped before police could get him.

“Rajbhar’s brother-in-law came to the police station and informed police about the call. A team was instantly sent, but by then he had left the city. We then traced the IMEI number and it turned out to be a constable’s. We checked with the constable there, who claimed that his phone was stolen,” said an officer.

In May 2016, the case was transferred to the Crime Branch. A special team was even deputed to keep a tab on his wife’s movements as she attended computer classes. Police said that earlier she lived with her daughter at Rajbhar’s Kandivali residence, but later she shifted to Charkop to be with her parents.

A Crime Branch officer said, “During festivals such as Ganesh Chaturthi and Navratri, we used to keep a check on all shops involved in idol making. We also formed teams that would go and visit all the idol making shops on the outskirts of Mumbai, such as Virar, Palghar, Ulhasnagar, etc.”

Investigators believed that Rajbhar’s arrest would be a major breakthrough and will help further establish Chintan Upadhyaya’s alleged role in the crime. Since September 2016, teams started combing mortuaries in search of his body, believing there was a possibility he may have committed suicide. Police have also circulated his photograph to all mortuaries across Maharashtra, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh. Police teams have already visited more than a dozen cities across the country looking for Rajbhar, keeping an eye on art workshops where he may go in search of work.

“Teams were even sent to his sister’s house in Surat and Udaipur but it hasn’t helped us in any way,” said an investigator. Asked if he may have left India, an officer investigating the case said, “We do not believe he has left the country as all his documents, including his passport, are at home.” The Mumbai Police has announced an award of Rs 1 lakh for any information on him but to no avail.