Sylvester Daniel is a person known for having a criminal history and being a key witness in the cases for the death of Sohrabuddin Sheikh and Tulsiram Prajapati killing.
Daniel's parents both had careers in healthcare.[1] They lived in Rajasthan.[1] Daniel had good grades as a student.[1] He also played sports.[1]
When in jail he met a local crime boss who recruited him for more crimes.[1] Again in jail he met Tulsiram Prajapati who introduced him to Sohrabuddin Sheikh.[1] The local criminal culture and police knew of the three as a criminal trio who collaborated.[2] Police later charged Daniel, Tulsiram, and Sohrabuddin with the murder of Hamid Lala, who was another crime boss.[1]
In December 2004 the police arrested Sohrabuddin, Tulsiram, and Daniel for the case known as the "Popular Builders firing".[3] His charge was firing guns at real estate developers with Tulsiram.[3] In this case, these three fired guns at the Patel brothers, who were owners of the Popular Builders real estate company.[3]
See also: Death of Sohrabuddin Sheikh and Tulsiram Prajapati killing.
Daniel came to national attention as a witness in the death of Sohrabuddin Sheikh and its connected Tulsiram Prajapati killing.[1]
In October 2011 after a court appearance Daniel escaped from police custody. There were various stories explaining how he escaped.[4] One story is that he escaped during a toilet break, and another is that he escaped when the police took him to visit his sick mother at her home.[4] Another story is that several police officers drank alcohol with him at his home, and that Daniel escaped after getting them drunk.[5] Another story is that police wanted Daniel to escape.[6]
After escaping Daniel bought a gun.[7] Within 24 hours of escaping police arrested him again.[2]
The police administration charged 5 officers for their actions which led to Daniel's escape.[8]
The Central Bureau of Investigation petitioned the court to not let Daniel out of jail for his own safety, and to thereafter have his legal proceedings in the jail.[9]
In July 2012 Daniel got bail and left jail.[3]