Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Accused Vivek Jain, who brutally murdered businessman Chirag Jain, his former partner, was arrested from Bypass Road on Tuesday after 18 days of manhunt.

The accused, living without money, was exhausted after evading cops and left Kanpur to meet his wife at his house in Bakhtawar Ram Nagar to surrender before the police.

But the cops received information about his plan and arrested him near Best Price on Bypass Road. The accused had been on the run for 18 days and a reward of Rs 10,000 had been announced on his arrest.

Additional DCP Amrendra Singh said that Vivek Jain had been in partnership with Chirag Jain for nearly 12 years. However, business disputes arose and two months ago, both decided to part ways.

On August 23 at around 6 AM, Vivek went to Chirag’s flat in Milan Heights, Bicholi Mardana and stabbed him with a knife in his chest, abdominal and other body parts, leading to his death.

Following the attack, Vivek fled by a bus, abandoning his mobile phones to evade technical tracking. He wandered across Ujjain, Delhi, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Mathura and Karauli (Rajasthan), surviving by staying at religious places, taking up daily wage work and contacting acquaintances through strangers’ mobile phones. He also disguised himself to avoid being caught. Police said he ran out of money and became exhausted, while his family was repeatedly questioned by investigators. He was planning to meet his wife when he was finally nabbed.

During interrogation, Vivek allegedly confessed to murdering his business partner Chirag Jain due to financial disputes. Further investigation is underway.