Four more arrested for supplying ‘chemical’

The Detection of Crime Branch (DCB), Ahmedabad, on Saturday arrested four more persons for allegedly supplying the deadly ‘chemical’ leading to the death of three persons in the Gurjari Nagar slums in Ellisbridge area of Ahmedabad.

The arrested are suspected to be local bootleggers operating in the area.

Earlier, the police had arrested main accused Sameer Kasab alias Zakir in late hours of Friday for supplying the chemical in the area.

S S Khandwawala, Director General of Police, in a press conference on Saturday, said that according to FSL report, Zakir had supplied methyl to the victims.

“He used methyl alcohol for making perfumes. After the police have ensured that hooch is not available in the city any where, people are mixing different chemicals for such addictions,” he said.

The police also said that Zakir had come out of jail just a month ago after serving his term for murder charges.

Abhay Chudasama, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCB), said, “These people may have been arrested as a preventive step. We need to see if they are involved in this case or not. We are waiting for Zakir to get discharged to track the roots of his business and trace more people (if involved).”

Incidentally, the DCB had earlier claimed after the hooch tragedy in Odhav that they have arranged for police check-posts in all the corners of the city to ensure brewing and sale of any addictive chemical stops.

Khandwawala further said that Zakir who used to sell perfumes (that usually have methyl component) had mixed methyl with water and supplied it to the victims in small packets. Police said Zakir had himself also consumed the solvent and was later admitted to the V S Hospital on Saturday.

A local from Gurjari Nagar slums, Ramesh Vaghri, said, “Zakir used to bring the packets to the spot some times and some times we used to go to Sarkhej to get packets at cheaper rates. The people here usually got the packets from Changodar, Thaltej, Sarkhej and Dholka.”

Vaghri confessed that he too used to sit and drink with his friends Chotulal, Vinod Makwana and Ramanlal — the three who died in the tragedy — every night.

The police had also found the bodies of two unidentified persons lying in the same area. However, later the police sources confirmed after the tests that one of them had died from cold and another from a snake bite.

Further investigations in the case have been handed over to the DCB.

1,260 liquor bottles found in boiler imported for Tata Power plant

The Mundra police on Friday seized 1,260 bottles of South Korean liquor valued at Rs 2.52 lakh from a boiler imported by Tata Power for its upcoming project at Tundla village in Kutch district. The consignment had arrived at Mundra Port and was cleared by the Customs officials on Friday. The Tata Group had imported the boiler from a South Korean company.

After learning about the liquor, a police party led by Sub-Inspector J D Vaghela intercepted the trailer near Samadhodha village.

A search led to the recovery of 63 boxes of liquor. The police have now registered a case of prohibition against three people – Am Kyum Samb of South Korea, and Amit Chandrakant Pandey and Prahlad Laxminarayan Bishnoi of Premier Transport Company, who were transporting the boiler.

Vaghela said that no arrest had been made in the case as it is still unknown as to who had ordered the liquor and to whom it was to be delivered. Vaghela said it was surprising that Customs officials had cleared the consignment without checking it properly, since liquor is banned in the state.

Ahmedabad man in custody for girl's murder

JAIPUR: A 32-year-old resident of Ahmedabad has been taken into custody by Ajmer police in connection with the rape and murder of Ritu Agarwal, a fashion designing student, whose body was found on Jaipur-Beawar Bypass Road near Ajmer on Sunday morning.

The man, Satyanarayan alias Satish Sharma, was a neighbour of the girl in Raghukul Colony at Sahibag area of Ahmedabad. According to police, he has confessed to the murder and they have evidence to prove his presence near Jaipur when the incident took place.

"Satyanarayan used to harass the victim," said a police officer. "He confessed that he murdered the girl. We had interrogated him on the basis of suspicion raised by the family members of the victim," Mohammad Anwar, SHO of Adharsh Nagar police station in Ajmer told TOI.

" Ritu, who was staying at a rented accommodation in Moti Doongri area in Jaipur, had told her roommates that she was expecting someone from Ahmedabad and left the room on Saturday evening. When we investigated on this line, we came across Satyanarayan's presence in Jaipur. Besides, he has confessed to the crime," said the SHO.

Earlier, the family members of the victim had told police that Satyanarayan was harassing her before she came to Jaipur for study.

The SHO, however, refused to elaborate on how he killed Ritu. "We are bringing him to Ajmer for further interrogation," he said.

Satyanarayan's father runs a metal factory in Ahmedabad, said an officer.

Paldi shoot-out : Accused sent to 8-day police remand

AHMEDABAD: A magisterial court on Monday sent two accused in the Paldi shoot-out case Jagdish alias Vijay Prabhulal Chauhan and Arun alias Boss Ambarai Deshmukh to eight-day police remand after the city crime branch sought their remand.

The shoot-out had taken place in Paldi-Bhattha on January 18 this year, when four burglars were spotted by the police. They had opened fire and a doctor Kirit Shah sustained serious injuries in the shoot-out.

Police officials had nabbed Sanjay alias Babloo Koli from Indore immediately after the shoot-out. Babloo had even tried to take a minor boy hostage at gunpoint in a bid to escape. But he could not succeed as people overpowered him. Meanwhile, Chauhan and Deshmukh were caught by Godhra police and city crime branch brought them to Ahmedabad on transfer warrant.