A murder, a missing truck and 33 years of disappearing: The story of Rajender Dagar

For more than three decades, Rajender Dagar lived as a ghost, drifting across states, changing identities and appearances, and staying one step ahead of investigators pursuing him in a murder-and-robbery case dating back to 1993. His long run from the law finally ended on June 1 when Delhi Police arrested the 59-year-old, accused of murdering a truck driver and stealing a truck loaded with copper in Old Delhi.

Police said Dagar, who was selected for the Indian Army in 1984 but was court-martialled and dismissed within a year, had been absconding since 1993. He was declared a proclaimed offender in 1994.

"For … 33 years, he was constantly changing his identities, appearances and locations across several states," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Sanjeev Kumar Yadav said in a statement.

"Teams tracked down the fugitive despite the absence of digital records, modern surveillance tools and original case documents from the early 1990s," he said.

A murder for a truckload of copper

The case dates back to June 15, 1993, when Ram Singh, a truck driver from Rajasthan's Jhunjhunu district, was allegedly murdered at a hotel in the Lahori Gate area of Old Delhi.

According to police, Dagar and his associates allegedly poisoned Ram Singh in order to steal the truck he was driving, which was carrying a consignment of copper belonging to a company.

Investigators said Dagar knew the driver, his route and the valuable cargo he was transporting, making him an easy target.

An FIR was registered at Lahori Gate Police Station on June 17, 1993. During the investigation, police found that Ram Singh had last been seen in Dagar's company. Before investigators could apprehend him, however, he disappeared.

For years, the case remained unresolved as police struggled to find fresh leads.

"The accused was around 25 when the murder took place and is now nearly 60. No recent photographs, no digital footprint and very limited records from the period. Many of the conventional leads available in modern investigations simply did not exist when the crime was committed," the DCP said.

Investigators revisited court records, scrutinised old files and studied Dagar's alleged criminal history. Police found references to earlier cases involving cheating truck drivers, stealing loaded vehicles and misappropriating valuable consignments. Officers believed these patterns could help them trace his movements and habits.

The trail that finally led to him

Police eventually shifted focus to Dagar's native village in Rajasthan's Jhunjhunu district.

"The team then focused on the accused's native village in Rajasthan's Jhunjhunu. Officers discreetly gathered information about his family members and conducted repeated field visits over several months," the DCP said.

The inquiry suggested that Dagar was alive and occasionally returned to the village, although he remained cautious and avoided staying for long periods.

The breakthrough came when investigators identified a suspicious mobile phone number during surveillance. The number remained switched off most of the time, but whenever it became active, its location surfaced at hotels and guest houses in different cities, indicating that Dagar was constantly on the move.

"Acting on a specific lead, the team reached Narnaul in Haryana. The police searched around 15 hotels and guest houses in the area before finally locating the accused at one of the establishments where he was allegedly staying under a false identity," the officer said.

After confirming his identity, police arrested him on June 1, bringing an end to a manhunt that had lasted more than three decades.

According to investigators, Dagar initially tried to conceal his identity during interrogation but later confessed to his involvement in Ram Singh's murder.

Police said he admitted knowing Ram Singh and being aware that he regularly transported copper consignments from Rajasthan to Delhi. After the crime, investigators said, he fled the capital and spent years moving from one place to another.

During his years on the run, Dagar reportedly worked in bars in Mumbai, sold vada pav to earn a livelihood and spent nearly two years employed at a casino in Goa. Throughout that period, he allegedly adopted different identities and altered his appearance.

"At one stage, he kept long hair tied in a ponytail," the officer said.

According to police, Dagar's life has been marked by a brief stint in the armed forces and a long criminal record spanning multiple states.

He was selected for the Indian Army in 1984 but was court-martialled and dismissed from service within a year. Investigators believe his dismissal was followed by a series of criminal activities, often involving truck drivers carrying valuable consignments.

Police records indicate that his modus operandi involved befriending or deceiving truck drivers before stealing their vehicles and cargo.

He was previously booked at police stations in Kashmere Gate and Mayapuri in Delhi, as well as Alwar in Rajasthan.

With Dagar's arrest, investigators believe they have finally closed a chapter in a case that remained unsolved for 33 years, overcoming the challenges of time, fading records and the absence of modern investigative tools.