Taxi Killer Arrested in Delhi After 25 Years: Ajay Lamba’s Shocking Criminal Trail Ends
‘Taxi Killer’ Arrested in Delhi After 25 Years: A Fugitive’s Grisly Trail Comes to an End
New Delhi — After nearly 25 years on the run, a 49-year-old man accused of murdering taxi drivers and smuggling their stolen vehicles across the India-Nepal border has finally been arrested by Delhi Police. The accused, identified as Ajay Lamba, alias Banshi, had been evading capture since the early 2000s, despite being declared a proclaimed offender in multiple states.
💥 Big Win for Delhi Police! 💥
After 25 years on the run, a notorious criminal — wanted in 4 heinous cases of robbery-cum-murder across Delhi and Uttarakhand — has finally been nabbed by NDR, Crime Branch, Delhi.
This major breakthrough reflects the tireless efforts,… pic.twitter.com/LLqGVIb9sr
— Crime Branch Delhi Police (@CrimeBranchDP) July 6, 2025
Lamba was the mastermind behind at least four robbery-cum-murder cases between 1999 and 2001, targeting unsuspecting taxi drivers, killing them in cold blood, and dumping their bodies in the forests of Uttarakhand.
Early Criminal Life: From School Dropout to Serial Offender
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Aditya Gautam, Lamba was born in 1976 in Delhi’s Krishna Nagar. A school dropout after Class 6, he became involved in crime at an early age and was soon labeled a ‘Bad Character’ by Vikas Puri police under the alias Banshi.
In 1996, he changed his identity to Ajay Lamba and relocated to Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, where he teamed up with criminal associates Dhirendra and Dilip Negi. Together, they formed a ruthless gang that hired taxis, murdered drivers, and smuggled the stolen vehicles across the Nepal border.
Gruesome Murders and Cross-Border Operations
Lamba’s gang became notorious for its cold-blooded executions. Their method involved hiring taxis under false pretenses, killing the drivers, and abandoning their bodies in remote locations like Haldwani, Almora, and Champawat in Uttarakhand.
One such infamous case was registered in 2001 at New Ashok Nagar Police Station in Delhi. Police confirmed that the stolen vehicles were later resold in Nepal, enabling the gang to build a cross-border smuggling racket that remained undetected for years.
Years on the Run: Nepal Hideout and New Crimes
Between 2008 and 2018, Lamba lived with his family in Nepal, where he assumed new identities and stayed under the radar. After moving to Dehradun, he resumed criminal activities, this time involving narcotics smuggling.
By 2020, he had joined a marijuana smuggling network transporting ganja from Odisha to Delhi and other states. In 2021, he was arrested by Sagarpur Police under the NDPS Act. In 2024, he was linked to a jewellery shop robbery in Berhampur, Odisha.
Despite these arrests, his past as a fugitive went undiscovered. He was released on bail in both cases.
Final Capture: Coordinated Police Operation in Delhi
Delhi Police’s Crime Branch, acting on intelligence inputs, tracked Lamba’s movements and launched a coordinated operation to arrest him earlier this week. Authorities have not disclosed the exact location of his arrest for operational reasons.
“He kept changing cities and identities, making him incredibly hard to trace. His arrest is a major success for us,” said DCP Aditya Gautam.
Police say Lamba’s arrest may open the door to solving multiple cold cases in Delhi and Uttarakhand, where families of the murdered taxi drivers have waited decades for justice.