New Delhi: YouTuber Saleem Wastik, who identified himself as an ‘Ex Muslim’ and who was stabbed last month in Ghaziabad, has been arrested. He was allegedly involved in the kidnapping and murder of a 13-year-old school student some 31 years back. The child was the son of a Delhi-based businessman.
Wastik, who had assumed a false identity and was staying in the Loni area of Ghaziabad, was identified through police and finger print records and was tracked and arrested for his involvement in the murder which took place in 1995, reported NDTV. The police analysed fingerprints, old photographs and old records to locate him and finally managed to arrest the man.
Wastik jumped bail in 2000
The son of a businessman, 13-year-old Sandeep Bansal left for his school on January 20,1995. However he failed to return home at his usual time. The family started to search for him in the neighbourhood and near his school, but failed to locate him. The next day, they received a call, telling them that the boy had been kidnapped and the caller demanded Rs 30,000 for his release.
The kidnappers told Bansal’s father that he should leave the money in a bus in Loni and not call the police. They warned him that he should not inform the police, otherwise his son would be killed.
The family however still decided to approach the police. They filed a kidnapping case at the Gokulpuri Police Station.
The police began investigations and a neighbour informed the family that he had seen the boy being taken away in an autorickshaw by a tall boy named “Masterji”. Based on this clue the police traced Saleem Khan, now known as Saleem Wastik, who was at the time working at Ramjas School in Daryaganj as a martial arts instructor.
Under intense questioning, Khan confessed to the crime and led police to the spot where the boy’s body had been disposed of. He also revealed another name, Anil. He said that Anil played a key role in planning the kidnapping of the boy and also the murder. The boy’s body was recovered from a drain in Mustafabad. The police also managed to arrest Anil and recovered the boy’s belongings like his school bag, tiffin box and water bottle during the search.
On August 5,1997, both the accused Saleem Khan (now known as Saleem Wastik) and Anil were sentenced to life imprisonment by the Karkardooma Court. Both the accused appealed in the Delhi High Court. Saleem was granted bail in the year 2,000 and was subsequently released. However after being released, he absconded. In 2011, the Delhi High Court upheld his conviction, but he had not been caught by then also.
Saleem assumed new identity
Saleem Khan assumed a new identity, Saleem Wastik after escaping the law agencies. For the next 26 years, he kept moving around in Delhi’s neighbouring states and lived in Karnal and Ambala in Haryana. In 2010, he moved to Ghaziabad’s Loni area.
He established a clothing business in Loni and also started making YouTube videos. He was known for his controversial videos and content especially on issues like religion and terrorism. He described himself as an ‘ex-Muslim’ on his YouTube channel.
Wastik stabbed at Ghaziabad home
In March, Wastik was stabbed at his Ghaziabad home. The video of the stabbing was caught on CCTV and went viral. His attackers were identified as Zeeshan and Gulfam. CCTV footage showed Wastik sitting on a sofa, when 2 men, wearing helmets entered his home and stabbed him multiple times.
The attackers were heard saying, “You are insulting the Prophet, you are insulting our God.”
Both the attackers were later killed in police encounters.
Wastik’s family moved him to a nearby hospital, from where he was referred to the GTB Nagar Hospital. He underwent treatment for his wounds there and recovered. Now he has been arrested for his past crimes.