Mangaluru: A 53-year-old woman who had allegedly been evading arrest for nearly 15 years in a case registered under the Prevention of Immoral Traffic Act (PITA) has been arrested by the Mangaluru City Women’s Police Station after a fingerprint match helped police establish her identity.
The accused, identified as Safiya, wife of the late Abubakar, was arrested by women police personnel on Tuesday, August 18. She was subsequently produced before the court, which remanded her to judicial custody.
Case dates back to 2011
The case dates back to Crime No. 09/2011 registered at the Mangaluru City Women’s Police Station under relevant provisions of the Prevention of Immoral Traffic Act.
The case was later taken up for trial before the 3rd JMFC Court in Mangaluru and registered as Split CC No. 02/2014. However, the legal proceedings continued for several years after the accused allegedly failed to appear before the court.
The matter eventually remained pending as LPC No. 10/2019. The court issued several Long Pending Case (LPC) warrants directing the accused to appear in connection with the case.
Despite the warrants, the woman allegedly remained untraceable for nearly 15 years, prompting police to continue efforts to locate her and establish her identity.
Allegedly used a different identity
According to the police report, the woman had allegedly concealed her actual identity when the original case was registered and when she was arrested at the time.
Police said she had identified herself as Ayesha, 36, wife of Hasanabba, and claimed to be residing at Bangregudde House in Gurupura, Mangaluru.
She had allegedly furnished this information to the authorities and subsequently remained away from the legal proceedings. Police later found that the woman’s actual identity was Safiya, 53, wife of the late Abubakar, with an address in Moodbidri taluk.
Investigators suspected that she had changed her name and address to conceal her identity and avoid arrest and further court proceedings.
Fingerprints prove crucial
With the accused’s identity in question, police turned to forensic evidence to establish whether Safiya was the same person who had been booked in the original case.
Her fingerprints were obtained and sent to fingerprint experts at the Fingerprint Unit in Mangaluru for examination.
The experts compared the newly obtained fingerprints with the fingerprints preserved in connection with Crime No. 09/2011 at the Mangaluru City Women’s Police Station.
The examination reportedly established a match between the fingerprints.
The forensic comparison provided police with crucial evidence to establish that the woman currently identified as Safiya was the same person who had earlier been booked in the case under the name Ayesha.
Arrest after long-pending warrant
Following confirmation of her identity, personnel from the Mangaluru City Women’s Police Station arrested Safiya on August 18.
She was produced before the competent court after her arrest. The court subsequently remanded her to judicial custody.
The arrest brings an end to a prolonged period during which the accused had allegedly remained unavailable to the police despite several court warrants.
The case highlights the role of forensic identification techniques in tracing accused persons in long-pending cases, particularly when questions arise over an individual’s identity or when an accused is alleged to have furnished false personal details.
Police efforts bring case back on track
Long Pending Cases often remain unresolved when accused persons fail to appear before courts or cannot be traced despite repeated efforts. In this case, police continued their efforts to establish the woman’s identity and locate her.
The fingerprint comparison eventually provided the link between the woman arrested recently and the accused named in the original 2011 case.
With Safiya now in judicial custody, further proceedings in the long-pending case will continue before the court.
The arrest also demonstrates how records maintained during earlier investigations can assist law enforcement agencies years later. In this instance, the preservation and comparison of fingerprints proved significant in establishing the identity of an accused who had allegedly remained beyond the reach of the authorities for nearly 15 years.