An ex-army captain, Sandeep Tomar, a convicted murderer, was absconding for four years. The authorities were unable to track him down during this time. However, an LPG cylinder refill gave away his location, leading to his arrest in Pandhurna district, Madhya Pradesh. The shocking crime story of former army captain Sandeep Tomar began in 2013.

At the time, Tomar was stationed at the Abohar Cantonment in Fazilka. He was married to Shweta Singh. Just months after their marriage, Tomar killed his wife and attempted to disguise her death as a suicide. An investigation into Singh’s death revealed the truth about the cause, and her husband was found guilty of murder by a local court in 2014. Sandeep Tomar was sentenced to life imprisonment and dismissed from the Indian Army.

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After the verdict, he was imprisoned in Ferozepur Jail for five years. In 2019, Tomar was released from prison on bail while his appeal was under consideration. Three years later, his appeal was rejected by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2022.

The former army captain was supposed to return to custody after his bail was rejected but failed to do so. In 2022, Sandeep Tomar, a convicted murderer, was declared absconding and could not be found. For the next four years, Tomar lived in disguise, a completely new life with a fresh start. However, his peaceful life did not last long, as his past caught up with him thanks to an LPG cylinder.

Where was Sandeep Tomar for four years?

After murdering his wife, Tomar ran away and continued his life. According to an exclusive report by ThePrint, the convicted murderer used his high educational qualifications to blend in with the crowd. He landed multiple jobs during the course of four years and even managed to get remarried. He was in Akola, Odisha, for one year, where he worked at a factory.

Aaswant Singh Dhaliwal, the Superintendent of Police, stated that Tomar did not have to change his entire identity. “He changed his driving licence, Aadhaar card address, and bank account details. In Odisha, nobody knew him. Neither was his family from Kanpur in touch with him,” Dhaliwal told ThePrint.

His undercover life was not marked by struggle. Tomar moved to Bengaluru in 2013, where he landed another job at a fabric manufacturing company, Raymond, and reportedly earned around ₹1.6 lakh per month. He ensured that his past stayed hidden from his new life by registering his mobile number and rental agreement under different numbers. He later remarried Pinky Singh and continued with his life as if nothing had happened.

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How was Sandeep Tomar caught?

While Tomar was leading a new life with his family and a cushy job, his father-in-law, Ram Naresh, moved the High Court in 2024 seeking his arrest. The High Court directed the Punjab Director General of Police to submit a report on the progress and updates regarding Tomar’s arrest by April 8, 2026.

A Special Investigation Team (SIT), along with Fazilka SSP and Aaswant Singh, traced the missing convict. The SIT tracked Tomar’s PAN with the assistance of the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) and began tracing his bank accounts through it. However, what ultimately led to his arrest was key evidence showing that he was getting his LPG cylinder refilled from a Bharat Gas agency.

The investigating officers contacted the gas agency and obtained Tomar’s address. The Pandhurna police then apprehended Sandeep Tomar, and was brought back to Punjab by the Fazilka police.

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