Carrying Rs 80,000 belonging to Javed, Sonu went missing in April 2008.

His parents alleged that Javed had kidnapped and murdered their son and got him booked by the police.

But to the surprise of the family, Sachendi police arrested Sonu from Mumbai’s Andheri and brought him to Kanpur on Tuesday.

The police are waiting for the youth to make his statement in the court on January 15, before initiating any action against him.

But to them, Sonu had admitted that he had deliberately committed fraud. Sonu told The Indian Express that he hatched the conspiracy alongwith one Nafees Ahmed, Javed’s driver.

“I went to Bihar and collected Rs 80,000 from a customer and on my way back, met Nafees in Lucknow,” he said.

From Lucknow, they went to Mumbai, where Nafees helped Sonu find a job as a painter in Andheri. The money was equally divided between the two, and later, Nafees left for an unknown destination.

Sonu has not spoken to his parents since, or even thought of returning to Kanpur. “I do not know how the police came to know about my presence in Andheri, as I was not in contact with my family for eight months,” he added.

It was through Mohammad Kaleel — the cousin of the missing Nafees — the police had come to know about Sonu’s whereabouts. A team led by A N Tripathi, in-charge, Chakarpur Mandi, went to Mumbai and arrested Sonu on January 11.

Sonu’s victim Javed, meanwhile, has heaved a sigh of relief. He said his life had

become miserable after the incident. “I had surrendered at Sachendi police station and got bail later,” he said. Over the months, his business has been ruined, he said, as most of his time was spent in search of Sonu and Nafees.

“In his six-month service, Sonu had won my confidence and I never doubted that he could run away with my money,” he added. Now he was ready to register a case of fraud against Sonu and Nafees, he added.

Sonu’s father Ram Narain Sharma, who had lodged a complaint against Javed and Nafees, accusing them of kidnapping and murder, has little to say now.

Station Officer, Sachendi, Raj Pal Singh said, “Though Sonu has admitted that he had committed a fraud and left for Mumbai, we have to wait for his statement before the court.” The arrest of Nafees will shed light on the grey areas of the case, he said.