A killer found guilty yesterday of murdering Harminder Singh Jhaghra in Hayes 18 years ago had been living a 'comfortable' life in India, police said today.

Kiranjit Uppal fled to Delhi in 1996 after killing the 28-year-old, of Southall, during a clash between rival gangs from Southall and Cranford.

The 37-year-old was yesterday found guilty at Isleworth Crown Court of murdering Mr Jhaghra on February 7, 1996, just hours after he had assaulted a 15-year-old playing on an arcade machine.

Detective Chief Inspector Charles King, from the Met Police's Homicide and Major Crime Command (HMCC) unit, said: "This has proved to be a challenging case due to the length of time that has passed. For almost 18 years Uppal thought he had got away with murdering Mr Jhaghra and had been living a relatively comfortable life in India.

"Today's conviction should send a strong message that even with the passage of time we will do all that we can to find those who insist on evading justice and put them before the courts.

"The events of that fateful day have left a profound effect on Harminder's family. I would like to thank them for supporting us with this latest trial and I hope that today's result provides them some measure of justice after such a considerable period of time."

Uppal, of no fixed abode, had boarded a flight to Delhi with a one-way ticket eight days after Mr Jhaghra's murder.

He was finally arrested last September as he disembarked from a plane at Heathrow, after detectives received information he would be returning to the UK.

The court heard how a series of altercations on February 7, 1996, had led to a clash between rival groups from Cranford and Southall.

Harminder Singh Jhaghra, of Southall, who was murdered in 1996

At around 4pm, two men from the Cranford area and associates of Uppal had been set upon in Bath Road, Cranford, by individuals from the Southall area.

The two men sustained minor cuts and bruising to their faces, and, after word spread rapidly about the assault, arrangements were made for the Cranford group to meet in a car park in North Hyde Road, Hayes, at around 6.45pm.

They made their way to a minicab office in Southall, where, at about 8.45pm, they came across a 15-year-old boy playing on an arcade machine with a friend.

Members of the group, including Uppal, attacked the boy, who sustained severe cuts to the head and a broken elbow.

Amarjit Lochab, then 17, and Charandeep Dhariwal, 19, were convicted for assaulting the boy. Lochab received four-and-a-half years imprisonment in a Young Offenders Institution and Dhariwal was sentenced to three years in a Young Offenders Institution.

Following the attack, a phone call was made to Mr Jhaghra, who was part of the Southall group, and he was informed of the events that had taken place. He arrived at the minicab offices soon after with other associates from the group.

Phone calls were made between the two groups and a short while later some of the Cranford group, armed with weapons, gathered in car park in North Hyde Road, Hayes.

They then made their way down Watersplash Lane and hid in a wooded area at the end of the road. The remainder of group waited in the car park for the Southall group to arrive to entice them into the wooded area.

A passing off-duty special constable who had been driving along North Hyde Road witnessed members of the Southall group, who were travelling in three vehicles, pull up close to the junction of Watersplash Lane.

One of the vehicles drove off and continued along Watersplash Lane whilst the occupants of one of the other vehicles exited and reached into the boot and pulled out an array of weapons before running off. The special constable immediately called police.

The Cranford group on seeing the Southall group ran into the bushes where the others we still hiding. They all then rushed out and ambushed the Southall group. A fight ensued and Mr Jhaghra was stabbed in his arm.

He managed to run away and flagged down a passing motorist who took him to a nearby petrol station. The London Ambulance Service was called and Mr Jhaghra was taken to hospital where he later died.

In their haste to get away the Cranford group discarded a number of the weapons and clothing they were wearing during the attack. Some of the items including the clothing Uppal was wearing were later recovered by officers, although the murder weapon was never found. Items of clothing were later forensically linked to Uppal.

Harvinder Rai had also fled the UK after Mr Jhaghra's killing, heading to San Francisco. He returned to the UK later that year after being tracked down, and was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to five years' imprisonment.