Former Martial Arts Trainer and Child Killer: The Story of YouTuber Salim Vastik Arrested After 31 Years

The Delhi Police Crime Branch has arrested a criminal whose story is nothing short of a cinematic suspense thriller. Salim Vastik, who had established himself as a social activist and popular YouTuber in the Loni area of Ghaziabad, has finally had his true face revealed after 31 years. According to the police, this is the same man who kidnapped and brutally murdered one of his own students for a ransom of just 30,000 rupees in 1995. This individual, who evaded the law for decades, not only changed his identity but had also managed to get himself declared dead in official documents to live a new life.

The gruesome crime began in 1995 when Salim Khan, then a martial arts trainer at a prestigious school in Delhi, kidnapped his 13-year-old student, Sandeep Bansal. The accused demanded a large sum from the family, but out of fear of being caught, he killed the child and threw the body into a drain in Mustafabad. Following an investigation, he was arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment in 1997. However, the real twist came in 2000 when Salim was granted interim bail by the Delhi High Court; he vanished as soon as he stepped out of jail. He never returned, remaining a ‘fugitive’ in police files for over two decades.

During his time on the run, Salim cunningly crafted a new identity as ‘Salim Vastik.’ He hid in various cities across Haryana and Uttar Pradesh before eventually settling in Loni. There, he started a clothing business and gradually gained a foothold on social media. He eventually became an influential YouTuber with thousands of followers watching his videos. In February 2026, he came into the limelight again after surviving a murder attempt where his attackers were killed in a police encounter. While he presented himself as a victim at that time, the resulting publicity led to his downfall. Investigators matched 31-year-old fingerprints and photographs to confirm his identity before arresting him in a raid. This arrest proves that even if a crime file gathers dust, the long arm of the law eventually catches up with the guilty.

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