New Delhi, Oct 12 (IANS): An absconding accused in the murder of Intelligence Bureau (IB) official Ankit Sharma during 2020 Delhi riots, has been arrested from Telangana by the Delhi Police's Special Cell, an official said on Wednesday

DCP, Special Cell, Pramod Kushwaha said that the accused, identified as Munjtajim alias Musa Qureshi, 34, had been absconding since then and a reward of Rs 50,000 had been announced on his head.

"Our Inspectors Praveen Duggal, Rakesh Rana and Surender Sharma, under the supervision of ACP Lalit Mohan Negi, had been working on the Delhi riot accused who had been absconding. Acting on a tip-off, Qureshi was finally nabbed from Gayatri Nagar, Meerpet in Telangana."

"We received a tip-off that the accused was hiding in Telangana and used to visit a particular chemist shop. A team was sent over there, a trap was laid and he (Qureshi) was caught. He was involved in a kidnapping-cum-rape case. In jail, he met one Mujib and started working with him after coming out of the jail," the DCP said.

The police added that Qureshi, along with his friends, took part in anti-CAA protests and took part in the riots where they killed Sharma.

The Delhi riots took place in February 2020 when the then US President Donald Trump was on a visit to New Delhi, following clashes between pro- and anti-CAA protesters.

During the riots on February 25, Sharma was brutally murdered in the Chand Bagh area where he was trying to get information.

The rioters had thrown his body into a drain and it was recovered the next day. A case was lodged by the police at Dayal Pur police station.

According to the deceased IB official's post-mortem report, he was stabbed 52 times by sharp-edged weapons.

Qureshi, who was involved in the murder, had fled from the area and was later declared a proclaimed offender by the court. Police then declared a reward of Rs 50,000 on his head.