Man declared dead 13 years ago arrested alive in Agra fraud case from 1999

A fraud case dating back to 1999 in Agra took a dramatic turn when an accused man declared dead 13 years ago was found alive riding a scooter on the streets, leading to his arrest and surrender before the court.

Tarachand Sharma, a resident of Nagla Baini Prasad in Gandhi Nagar, Agra, had been declared dead over a decade ago while facing charges of fraud and preparing a forged will. The case, which began in 1999 when a court summoned him on fraud charges, seemed to have ended with his reported death. However, the complainant's side spotted Sharma alive recently and photographed him as evidence, presenting the proof in court to demonstrate that he had been evading justice all these years.

Following the revelation, Sharma appeared before the court and surrendered himself. The accused had allegedly prepared a fake will and faced serious fraud charges, with his attempts to secure relief even from the High Court proving unsuccessful. The complainant's persistence in tracking the accused and providing concrete evidence of his being alive revived the long-dormant legal proceedings.

Special Chief Judicial Magistrate Shiva Nand Gupta heard Sharma's bail application after his surrender. The court rejected the bail plea and ordered that the accused be sent to jail. The case highlights both the lengths some accused go to evade the law and the determination of complainants to pursue justice even after more than two decades.

The discovery has raised serious questions about how Sharma managed to fake his death and evade arrest for 13 years despite living in the same city. Authorities are now likely to investigate whether he received any assistance in creating false death records and how he continued to live openly without detection for over a decade.