Ghaziabad: He gained immense popularity on YouTube by calling himself an “Ex-Muslim” and questioning certain practices by the followers of Islam.
About two months ago, two brothers attacked him for his views and were subsequently gunned down by the Uttar Pradesh police.
It has now emerged that the person going by the name of Salim Wastik is actually Salim Khan alias Salim Ahmed, accused of abducting and murdering a 13-year-old boy more than three decades ago. He apparently jumped bail and vanished into thin air before being arrested on Saturday by the Delhi Police’s Crime Branch.
Salim was convicted in the abduction and murder of Sandeep Bansal, the 13-year-old son of a cement trader from North East Delhi, in 1997, Sanjeev Yadav, DC (Crime), Delhi Police, said, as reported by The Indian Express.
“The crime took place in January 1995, when the child left home for school but never returned. The following day, the boy’s father received a phone call informing him that his son had been kidnapped and demanding a ransom of Rs 30,000 for his safe release,” Yadav said.
The traumatised father was told by the caller to deliver the money at a spot near the Loni flyover, the police said. However, before any exchange could take place, suspicion fell on the martial arts instructor at the victim’s school.
That person was Salim Khan alias Salim Ahmed, who reinvented himself as a social activist and went by the name Salim Wastik.
After the boy’s abduction, Salim was detained. During interrogation, he allegedly confessed to the crime, and led the police to a drain in Mustafabad. There, police found the body of the child, Yadav said.
His associate Anil, who had allegedly made the ransom calls and helped plan the kidnapping, was also traced.
Salim and Anil were arrested and in 1997, two
years after the murder, a court in Delhi convicted both men and sentenced them to life imprisonment, Yadav said.
In 2000, Salim was granted interim bail by the Delhi High Court during the pendency of his appeal. He left the jail – never to return.
His conviction was upheld by the High Court in 2011, even when he was absconding.
Salim went to great lengths to avoid capture. He managed to show up as “dead” in official records, the police said. He then assumed a new identity and Salim Wastik, or Salim Ahmed, was born.
The new Salim moved across parts of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh over the years, working various jobs including as a furniture maker, the police said. He eventually settled in Loni, Ghaziabad.
He established his new life there, running a shop selling women’s clothing and accessories. He also gained local recognition as a social activist and operated a YouTube channel, which helped him build a public profile under his assumed identity of Salim Wastik.
The story took a dramatic new turn on Saturday.
A dedicated team of the Anti-Robbery and Snatching Cell (ARSC) of the Crime Branch received specific intelligence about a man matching the description of the absconding convict, Salim Khan.
Officers conducted surveillance and cross-verified details using old photographs and fingerprint records. The investigation confirmed that YouTuber Salim Wastik was indeed the same person who had been convicted in the 1995 murder case, and had disappeared after jumping bail, the police said.
With assistance from the local police in Loni, the special team successfully arrested the accused after weeks of tracking his movements. Ironically, after his discharge from hospital in March, Wastik was provided with security by the Uttar Pradesh Police.
Salim is learned to have told officers that after jumping bail, he continuously changed locations and identities to avoid detection. His ability to remain undetected for over two decades underscores significant gaps that investigators have now managed to close through persistent efforts and modern verification techniques.
After completing all legal formalities, the accused has been sent to Tihar Jail to serve his life sentence.