GHAZIABAD: A 48-year-old man, whose wife had lodged a false kidnap complaint last year to help him evade arrest in a number of drug peddling cases against him, was found hiding in an almirah in his house on Saturday. Gulab Singh was arrested along with his 18-year-old son Rohit from their house in DLF Shankar Vihar . His wife Anju, who allegedly helped her husband remain untraceable for over a year, is absconding.The allegation that Singh had been kidnapped had led to a constable being suspended. After a year of investigation, no evidence was found against the constable and he was reinstated.Singh is believed to have told the police on Saturday that the almirah where he was found would be his hiding place whenever cops or even guests came calling. Once, he apparently hid in the wooden almirah for two days at a stretch because there were guests at home. His wife would stealthily provide him food.Police said Singh had strong connections with the narcotics syndicate in NCR and had been trading in illicit drugs around the Delhi-Ghaziabad border since 2011. He has four criminal cases against him in Delhi and is also accused of attempt to murder, under provisions of the Arms Act and assault. Sources said after Delhi police turned the heat on him, Singh shifted his base to Loni in Ghaziabad.On July 13, 2017, a constable from Loni Border police station had picked up Singh for questioning and let him go after a couple of hours.“But Singh went missing after that session of questioning. His wife Anju alleged he had been kidnapped by the constable, Ajay Shankar, and two other men. The constable was suspended following the allegations but was reinstated after no evidence was found against him a year later. On Saturday, we received a tip-off and raided Singh’s house. He was found hiding inside an almirah,” Ghaziabad SP (rural) Arvind Maurya said on Saturday.The case against the constable was lodged after Singh’s family complained on the chief minister’s portal about alleged laxity on the part of the police in finding her husband.“Singh’s family had been showing this kidnapping FIR in various courts of Delhi where cases were pending against him. Whenever the police came looking for him, his family would show the FIR as proof that he had been kidnapped. We are investigating Singh’s activities during the period he went missing,” said Maurya.Singh has apparently told the police he had been peddling drugs across western UP since July 2017, when he was reported missing.“I staged the kidnapping drama to evade arrest and mislead investigators. I thought I was wrongly picked up for questioning. So, I wanted to teach the constable a lesson,” Singh told reporters.

Stay updated with all the Ghaziabad Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.