A man who allegedly spent nearly 18 years evading the law after jumping parole in a sensational murder case has been caught by the Sirsa police in Punjab, ending a two-decade-long manhunt. The accused, Sukhbinder Singh alias Sukha, was arrested from the Gidderbaha area of Muktsar Sahib district in Punjab under the Sirsa police’s ‘Operation Shikanja’ campaign against wanted fugitives.What makes the case remarkable is that the accused was a police constable himself when the crime took place in 2002.According to police, Sukhbinder and his associates allegedly conspired to murder ASI Subey Singh, who was serving as a Motor Transport Officer in the police department. The ASI was allegedly shot dead and his body was later thrown into a canal in an attempt to destroy evidence.A case was registered at the Sadar police station, and all the accused were eventually arrested and sent to jail. However, police said Sukhbinder was released on parole in 2008 and never returned, remaining absconding for the next 18 years.  SP Deepak Saharan said the fugitive repeatedly changed his identity, appearance, and hideouts to evade arrest. Despite years of dead ends, investigators continued tracking him.The breakthrough came after SHO, Sadar, and trainee IPS officer Shivam Yadav and his team developed fresh intelligence and used technical surveillance to trace the accused to Punjab.Police finally cornered and arrested him in Gidderbaha, ending one of the district’s longest-running pursuits. “Crime may grow old, but it does not disappear. The law eventually catches up,” the SP said.The accused has been produced before a court and further legal proceedings are underway.