NEW DELHI/CHANDIGARH (TIP): After dodging police for nearly two months, godman Asaram Bapu’s son Narayan Sai, accused of rape by two Surat-based sisters, was arrested on Delhi-Chandigarh National Highway-1 after a 72-hour cat-andmouse chase by Delhi Police crime branch. Sai, police said, was disguised as a Sikh when he was caught. He had also stocked utensils and ration in his Ford Eco Sport and a juvenile cook to prepare him food. Sai, who mistook the cops as kidnappers, first tried negotiating a ransom saying he was going to Delhi to sign some legal documents.

Sai, police said, was hoping to evade cops busy with Delhi elections, which was why he was so close to the national capital. Sai is wanted in connection with a complaint lodged by two sisters of sexual assault,unnatural sex, criminal intimidation and criminal conspiracy at a police station in Surat, Gujarat. He was taken on transit remand to Surat after being produced at Rohini court. Asaram is in Jodhpur jail since his arrest in September for allegedly sexually assaulting a teenager who lodged an FIR with Delhi Police.

“A team led by DCP Kumar Gyanesh and ACP KPS Malhtora arrested Narayan Sai and two of his associates… Six mobile phones used by all the accused were also recovered along with the Eco Sport in which they were travelling,” said SBK Singh, joint commissioner of police, crime branch. Apart from Sai, his PSO Kaushal Thakur and driver Ramesh Malhotra were also arrested. Sai carried a reward of Rs 5 lakh on information leading to his arrest and his staff Rs 1 lakh. It’s learnt that a close associate of Sai’s driver, Ramesh, played a key role in the arrests.

There were protests outside crime branch office and Rohini court by Sai’s supporters who lay flowers on the path inside the court and sloganeered in his favour. A team of 22 Delhi policemen camped in Ludhiana for 24 hours. Police said Sai used 32 SIM cards and six cell phones to duck cops. The first batch of 10 cops reached Ludhiana on December 2 in Sarabha Nagar. Sai was hiding in a gaushala owned by electronic goods dealer Pankaj Agnihotri in Model Town area.

“Out of the past 70 days, he was putting up at this place for almost a month and Agnihotri was his disciple,” said ACP (crime) Ravindra Yadav. During his crosscountry run, Sai used several vehicles like Toyota Camry, Toyota Altis, Toyota Fortuner, Swift Dzire apart from Ford Eco Sport in which he was nabbed.