London, Oct 10 (IANS) An Indian-origin man in Britain, who evaded arrest for 17 years following a murder in 1996, was Thursday sentenced to life in prison, media reported.

Kiranjit Uppal, 37, who did not have fixed abdode was found guilty at the Isleworth Crown Court Monday on charges of murder of Harminder Singh Jhaghra in Hayes in west London and Thursday he was ordered to serve a minimum of 16 years in jail, the Hillingdon Times reported.

Uppal was also found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm in connection with an incident which occurred on the same day, prior to the murder. For the offence, he was sentenced to five-years in jail, which he has to serve concurrently.

Uppal fled Britain in the days following Harminder's murder but was arrested in September as he arrived at Heathrow airport.

"For almost 18 years Uppal, thought he had got away with murdering Harminder Singh Jhaghra and had been living a relatively comfortable life in India," Charles King, detective chief inspector, was quoted as saying.

"Today's(Thursday) sentence should send a strong message that, even with the passage of time, we will do all that we can to find those who insist on evading justice and put them before the courts," he added.

"The events of that fateful day have left a profound effect on Harminder's family. They have had to wait 18 long years to witness this day and I would like to thank them for supporting us with this latest trial."

A series of events in February 1996 led to a clash between two rival groups from Cranford and Southall, which resulted in Harminder's death in Watersplash Lane, off North Hyde Road in Hayes, the report said.