The Delhi Police has arrested a 36-year-old ‘Proclaimed Offender’ (PO) who had slapped Nationalist Congress Party’s (NCP) president Sharad Pawar at a public function in 2011 and had disappeared during the trial in national Capital.

The accused has been identified as Arvinder Singh alias Harvinder Singh, a resident of Delhi’s Swaroop Nagar.

Police said the accused was arrested in November 2011 after he assaulted Sharad Pawar, the then Union Minister of Agriculture at NDMC Convention Hall in New Delhi but the accused disappeared during the course of trial and was declared PO by the Patiala House in the year 2014.

According to Eish Singhal, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), New Delhi district, the accused Arvinder was involved in two cases of assault registered at Connaught Place and Parliament Street Police Station and he was declared PO in both the cases.

“Several visits were made to trace the accused at his native address but he quietly shifted to some unknown place. On November 11 this year, specific inputs were received regarding the new address of Arvinder.  The police team reached the place, cornered it and nabbed him. After due verification, the proclaimed offender was arrested under the related sections of law,” said the DCP.

“After the assault on Sharad Pawar, the accused in the year 2012 had also assaulted on duty police constable at Jantar Mantar. A case under section 186/353/506 of Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered at Parliament Street Police Station,” said the DCP adding that Arvinder was produced in court that sent him to judicial custody.