Ahmedabad:
A land dispute that began in 2013 ended in six deaths in 2023, and one accused stayed out of reach of police for more than three years. On Monday, the run ended in a Gurugram warehouse. The Ahmedabad City Crime Branch has arrested Ramusingh Dhirasingh Tomar, 37, who was carrying a cash reward, in connection with the May 2023 mass shooting in Morena district, Madhya Pradesh.
The 37-year-old accused, identified as Ramusingh Dhirasingh Tomar, was traced to a warehouse in the Gopalpur GIDC area of Gurugram, Haryana. Police said he had been evading arrest for over three years by frequently changing identities. He worked odd jobs as a security guard and casual labourer across Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Haryana, they said.
The incident dates back to May 2023 in Lepa village in Morena's Chambal region, where a clash broke out between two rival factions amid a long-standing land dispute. Members of one group allegedly opened indiscriminate fire on a rival family celebrating a daughter's wedding. Six people were killed, including three women.
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The victims have been identified as Gajendrasinh Badalusingh Tomar, Satyaprakasisingh Gajendrasinh Tomar, Sanjusingh Gajendrasinh Tomar, Madhudevi, wife of Sunilsinh Tomar, Babli Devi, wife of Narendrasinh Tomar, and Keshkalidevi, wife of Virendrasinh Tomar. A case was registered against nine accused at the Sihoniya Police Station under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Arms Act.
According to police, the killings stemmed from a decade-long cycle of vengeance rooted in a 2013 land dispute in the same village, in which two relatives of the accused were murdered by members of the rival family. Police allege that the accused and his accomplices carried out the shooting in retribution when the victims gathered for the family wedding.
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A Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the Morena district police arrested several suspects early on, but Tomar remained at large. The Inspector General of Police, Chambal zone, then announced a monetary reward for information leading to his arrest.
Acting on specific intelligence about his whereabouts in the National Capital Region, a team from the Ahmedabad Crime Branch kept watch on an industrial area in Gurugram and caught him. His identity and criminal record were then verified. The record includes an earlier attempt-to-murder case registered at Gormi police station in Bhind district. Local authorities have begun the formal procedure to hand him over to the Madhya Pradesh Police for further legal proceedings.