Man wanted in multiple criminal cases held

A man, who was wanted in several criminal cases and had been on the run for the past nine years, was arrested in Rajasthan's Churu district, police said.

Vinod Mitathal, who has over four dozen criminal cases registered against him in Haryana and Rajasthan, carried a cash reward of Rs 3 lakh on his head, a Haryana Police spokesman said here.

Three 9 mm pistols, six cartridges and nine cartridges of .315 bore were seized from his possession, he said.

Mitathal, a resident of Mitathal village Haryana's Bhiwani district, was wanted for several crimes, including murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping and ransom, the spokesman said.

He was sentenced to life imprisonment in a case earlier but went into hiding after coming out on parole nine years ago, he added.

During preliminary interrogation, Mitathal has confessed to his involvement in nine cases of crime after jumping the parole.

He, along with his associates, had allegedly kidnapped and killed a doctor three years ago. He is also accused of his involvement in the killing of a trader last year.

Police also arrested Praveen, a close aid of Mitathal, from Bhiwani on Monday, the spokesman said.