Rape, loot accused arrested 26 years after alleged crime

Surat: The Limbayat police nabbed a 60-year-old man wanted for a rape and robbery cases dating back 26 years. The accused, Sunil Kale, who carried a Rs 40,000 reward announced by Surat police, was nabbed near the Maharashtra–Karnataka border after a five-day surveillance operation in a forested area, during which the police team changed attire to track him down.Giving details about the crime, police inspector NK Kamaliya told TOI: "Accused and his aides reached complainant's farm on Aug 6, 2003 with an intention of loot. After looting valuables from the females of the family living in the home inside the farm, the accused raped the daughter of the complainant. He along with his aides also assaulted other females before leaving with the booty."Police said Kale had been involved in two earlier robbery cases in Surat since 2000 and remained absconding despite repeated attempts to trace him. Due to his long evasion, the police commissioner had declared a reward of Rs 40,000 on his arrest.After committing the robberies, Kale returned to his native place in Maharashtra and frequently changed his addresses to avoid arrest. During this period, he allegedly committed three murders in Maharashtra. He served 10 years in jail in one of the murder cases while remaining out on bail in the other cases.After being released from jail, Kale again went into hiding for the past six months. Acting on a tip-off, the Surat police tracked him near his native village in Sangli district and arrested him.