CBI Apprehends Long-Absconding Murder Suspect in Landmark Thiruvananthapuram Case

​Thiruvananthapuram, March 28, 2026: In a significant breakthrough for a case spanning over two decades, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a proclaimed offender, Durga Bahadur Bhat Chetri (also known as Deepak), in connection with the 2005 abduction and brutal murder of engineering student Shyamal Mandal.

The arrest marks a major milestone in the pursuit of justice for Mandal, a student at the College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram, whose body was discovered near Vellar in October 2005 following a ransom demand made to his father.​The investigation, which was officially handed over to the CBI by the Kerala High Court in late 2008, initially identified Chetri and his co-accused, Mohammed Ali, both hailing from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

While Ali was eventually convicted for the crime in 2022, Chetri managed to evade capture for over twenty years, leading the trial court to officially declare him a Proclaimed Offender.​The CBI’s persistent efforts culminated in Chetri’s capture on March 27, 2026, in Nagpur.

Investigators revealed that during his years as a fugitive, Chetri had been living under the alias Suraj B Bhatt, even marrying and settling down in Nagpur to conceal his true identity.

Following his arrest, the CBI confirmed that the suspect would be produced before the Jurisdictional Court at Ernakulam to be remanded into judicial custody.