No previous enmity, looking for motive: Cops

On Saturday evening, Vadodara City Commissioner of Police Shamsher Singh handed over the probe to the Detection of Crime Branch (DCB). The DCB will officially take charge of the case on Sunday. Vadodara City Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 2) Abhay Soni said the primary probe has not highlighted any previous enmity between the victims and the accused. However, Parikh and Pritesh had been involved in an altercation over parking on July 9, following which Pritesh had filed an application with the police against the then unmaned accused. “In the application seeking investigation, Pritesh did not name Parikh but cited a vehicle number belonging to Parikh,” Soni said.

Parikh, on the other hand, has claimed that the Thakkar cousins had visited his mother’s residence with an intention to assault him.

Soni said, “Parikh told us that when his mother called him to say that the two (Sachin and Pritesh) had come looking for him, they were accompanied by seven persons armed with sticks. He claimed that he contacted Wasiq to join him… who brought along a friend, Lohana. They claimed that the sticks used to assault the cousins were snatched from the armed men who came along Sachin and Pritesh…” “The investigation team is looking into the motive, as they had no previous enmity and a minor altercation over car parking led to this,” he added. Soni said that once Pritesh recovers from the injuries he sustained in the attack, the police will “question him why that he, along with Sachin – who was not part of the altercation between Pritesh and Parikh on July 9 – visited Parikh’s mother’s house and allegedly hurled abuses at her while looking for Parikh”. Police, which has booked the three accused for murder and assault under the Indian Penal Code, said that Parikh had been previously booked for assault by Laxmipura police station. The lawyer of the Thakkars, Pravin Thakkar, who was present in the court on Saturday, told mediapersons that the police are likely to investigate if Parikh “contracted the two co-accused for assaulting” the Thakkar cousins.

“The video of the assault shows Parikh coming with sticks to the spot where they were assaulted… it is clear that the three accused had arrived at the spot with the intention to kill and for the prosecution of a common objective,” the lawyer said. According to the FIR lodged at Gotri police station, based on a complaint filed by Sachin’s wife Reema, the incident had occurred on July 25, when Sachin and Pritesh had gone out together. They allegedly got involved in an altercation with Parikh near a restaurant at Race Course road over the issue of parking. Parikh, along with Ajmeri and Lohana, allegedly attacked Sachin and Pritesh with sticks and sharp objects, injuring both.

Meanwhile, Vadodara City Police suspended assistant head constable Pravin Dhulabhai at Gotri police station for “dereliction of duty”, as he did not initiate action in application filed by Pritesh on July 9 against the accused.