A wanted criminal from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh identified as Ravi Patel, in his late 30s, has been arrested from a rented accommodation in Ranchi under Khelgaon police station area, police announced on Saturday. Police have also arrested the landlord of the house in Khelagon identified as Deo Kumar alias Pappu and seized two pistols and couple of rounds of live cartridges from their possession.

Confirming the developments, city SP Saurabh told reporters at a press conference in the evening that the crackdown was done based on a specific tip-off about a wanted criminal living under disguise in Ranchi.

“The criminal has been identified as Ravi Patel hailing from Varanasi. After getting the information, we formed a quick response team (QRT) to trace the criminal. The team carried out raids on the intervening night of February 18 and 19 to successfully nab him,” he said, adding that police first seized a pistol from him. Later on, police zeroed in on Deo Kumar and held him while recovering another pistol.

Police sources said that Ravi is accused in over a dozen cases of arson, violence and murder crimes in UP. In Dhanbad too, he is facing a murder case registered at Bank More police station.

“In Dhanbad, he along with his associated had killed a cloth trader over a year back near Bank More,” said another official, adding that the accused has confessed about some of the killings committed by him during interrogation. “He was staying here to plan some crime. We will inform our counterparts in UP too so that they can proceed with other legal formalities to further investigations of the cases lodged against him there,” said the official.

The crackdown once again exposes how tenant verification is seldom followed while renting out houses to occupants even though the city police in the past appealed people in this regard on several occasions.