Ex-Muslim YouTuber who got stabbed '10 times' arrested in Ghaziabad for killing 13-year-old in 1995

Long story short: In a startling twist, a victim of a stabbing incident was revealed to be a murderer of a child in a three-decade-old case. "Salim Wastik", who had revamped his identity to become a famous YouTuber after killing a businessman's son in 1995, was recently arrested by the Delhi Police in Ghaziabad. In February this year, Salim was stabbed by two men who accused him of insulting the Prophet in his YouTube videos.

The full story

The Delhi Police Crime Branch said on Saturday that they arrested Salim Wastik, an absconding accused in a 31-year-old kidnapping and murder case.

As per a statement shared by news agency ANI, police said that Salim Wastik, who has recently been in the news for his controversial statements and YouTube videos, was convicted of a serious crime in 1995 and had been evading the law for years.

They said the murder case dates back to 1995, when Sandeep Bansal, the 13-year-old son of a Northeast Delhi businessman, was kidnapped.

In 1997, the court sentenced Salim Khan and his accomplice Anil to life imprisonment.

After being granted interim bail by the Delhi High Court in 2000, Salim absconded and never returned, police said.

They further revealed that the investigations confirmed this using old records, fingerprints, and photographs. Police then arrested him in Loni, Ghaziabad.

According to NDTV, Salim has been sentenced to life imprisonment at the Tihar jail on charges of kidnapping, extortion, and murder.

1995 murder case

On January 20, 1995, Sandeep Bansal's 13-year-old son left for school in Delhi but never returned.

According to NDTV, the family searched the boy, but was unable to find him. The next day, the businessman received a call informing him that his son had been kidnapped.

The kidnapper had demanded a ransom of ₹30,000 for his safe release. They instructed the businessman to leave the money in a bus near the Loni flyover and warned that the child would be killed if he informed the police, the report added.

The kidnappers instructed the businessman to leave the money in a bus near the Loni flyover and warned that the child would be killed if he informed the police. The family, however, immediately informed the police, and a case was filed at the Gokulpuri police station.

During the investigation, the businessman's neighbour reported seeing the child riding an autorickshaw with a tall boy named 'Masterji'.

Based on this input, police traced Saleem Khan (now Saleem Wastik). He reportedly confessed to the crime and led the cops to a drain in Mustafabad, where the child's body was recovered.

The false identity: Saleem Khan or YouTuber Saleem Wastik?

Saleem Khan, who was then a martial arts instructor at a school in Daryaganj, had absconded after being granted interim bail on November 24, 2000. In 2011, the Delhi High Court upheld his sentence, but by then, he was still at large, NDTV reported.

Saleem declared himself dead and assumed a new identity. He reportedly lived under the aliases Salim Wastik and Salim Ahmed.

For the next 26 years, he lived hiding in areas like Karnal and Ambala in Haryana. According to NDTV, he worked as a wardrobe maker.

Later, in 2010, he moved to the Loni area in Ghaziabad, where he opened a women's clothing store.

Saleem also established himself as a social activist and YouTuber — who was soon known for his controversial statements and videos, especially on issues related to terrorism and religion. He earned a reputation as an “ex-Muslim”, Indian Express reported.

A Bollywood producer had also decided to make a biopic on him, NDTV and the Times of India reported. He was even given an advance of ₹1.5 million for the project. However, Saleem was arrested before this could happen.

The stabbing incident

In February this year, Saleem alias Salim was stabbed multiple times by two men in his home in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad, leaving him in a critical condition. Accordinf to the Times of India, he was stabbed more than 10 times in his abdomen.

A nearly four-minute CCTV footage of the incident showed the two men, identified as Zeeshan and his brother Gulfam, entering the YouTuber's home and slashing him with a knife.

The video clip showed Saleem sitting on his sofa and watching a video on his mobile phone when the two assailants - both wearing a kurta pyjama and jackets - entered his home through the glass door.

They arrived on a motorcycle without a number plate, wearing helmets that they did not remove. Within a few seconds, they began stabbing the YouTuber.

The assailants could be heard saying, "You are insulting our Prophet, you are insulting our Lord," NDTV reported.

The accused reportedly attempted to slit his throat. A case was filed by Saleem's son, Usman.

Both the accused, who were carrying a reward of ₹1 lakh, were killed in two separate encounters with the police. While Zeeshan was killed on March 1, Gulfam died from his injuries on March 3.