Taxi killer nabbed in Delhi after 25 years; accused of multiple murders, cross-border vehicle smuggling

A 49-year-old man, wanted for nearly 25 years in multiple murder and robbery cases, has been arrested in Delhi, police said on Sunday. Ajay Lamba, also known as Banshi, is accused of orchestrating a series of crimes between 1999 and 2001, in which taxi drivers were killed, their bodies dumped in remote forested areas of Uttarakhand, and their vehicles sold across the Nepal border.

Lamba was the alleged mastermind behind at least four brutal robbery-cum-murder cases registered across Delhi and Uttarakhand, including a 2001 murder case at New Ashok Nagar police station. He had been declared a proclaimed offender in all these cases, which also included offences in Haldwani, Almora, and Champawat, officials said.

Started his criminal life early
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Aditya Gautam, Lamba was born in 1976 and originally from Delhi’s Krishna Nagar. “He dropped out of school after Class 6 and became involved in crime at an early age. Previously known as 'Banshi' and declared a 'Bad Character' by the Vikas Puri police, he changed his name to Ajay Lamba in 1996 and moved to Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, where he partnered with accomplices Dhirendra and Dilip Negi,” Gautam said as reported by PTI.

Together, they ran a violent criminal enterprise involving hiring taxis, killing drivers, looting vehicles, and reselling them across the Nepal border. Police added that Lamba had managed to evade arrest for over two decades by frequently changing locations and identities.

Moved to India from Nepal
From 2008 to 2018, Lamba lived in Nepal with his family before relocating to Dehradun. In 2020, he became involved in narcotics smuggling, reportedly working in a ganja supply network from Odisha to Delhi and other parts of India.

He was arrested in 2021 by Sagarpur police under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and again in 2024 in connection with a jewellery shop dacoity in Odisha’s Berhampur. He was out on bail in both cases and never revealed his fugitive status. Police confirmed that Lamba was apprehended in a coordinated operation in Delhi.

(With inputs from PTI)