Surat - Limbayat police have arrested a 57-year-old man wanted in connection with a series of shop robberies that occurred near Limbayat Nilgiri Circle in 1997. The suspect, now working as a driver, had been living close to the scene of the crimes for the last 16 years after spending a decade in Songadh.
Head Constable Bholabhai Nathubhai and Constable Kripal Singh Khodubha of Limbayat Police Station apprehended the suspect, Arun Ganpatbhai Patil, based on information received from an informant. In 1997, Patil, then a 31-year-old rickshaw puller, reportedly robbed and vandalized the Devnarayan grocery store and three other nearby shops in Santoshi Nagar with the help of several accomplices.
A clerical error in the initial police report, which recorded the suspect's name as "Arun Rickshawala" and misidentified his village, hindered the investigation. Although one accomplice was caught and identified at the time, Patil managed to flee to Songadh.
After living in Songadh for a decade, Patil returned to Surat, settling in Santoshi Nagar and working as a driver. The police finally arrested him based on new information, bringing a 26-year-long search to a close.
