A constable of the Amreli district police, who along with another constable, allowed a bootlegger to visit his residence in Junagadh when he was being taken to a court in Gandhinagar, has been arrested for allegedly consuming liquor and creating ruckus at a restaurant during the journey on July 24. Both constables, meanwhile, have been suspended from service for allowing the bootlegger, Dhiren Kariya, to visit to his house. Ranjit Vaghela, a constable of Jafrabad Marine police station in Amreli, was arrested by the Junagadh district police on Sunday after he was booked on a complaint filed by Sabrin Restaurant owner Soib Vadgama, who alleged that a man created ruckus at his restaurant after consuming liquor around 11.45 on July 24. Later, the man who created ruckus was identified as Vaghela, and the person accompanying him was identified as Nitin Bambhaniya, another constable attached to the Jafrabad Marine police station. “The two constables were to escort Dhiren Kariya to a court in Gandhinagar. However, they brought Kariya to Junagadh and allowed him to go to his residence while on way to Gandhinagar and back. The constables also went to a restaurant where Vaghela got drunk and created ruckus,” Junagadh SP Harshad Mehta said. “We have also arrested Amit Rathod, an aide of Kariya, who played the mediator between the police and Kariya,” he added. Vaghela was booked under sections 296(B) (sings, recital or utterance of any obscene song, ballad or words, in or near any public place) and 351(3) (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Later, he was booked under the Gujarat Prohibition Act for allegedly consuming liquor. A local court in Junagadh on Monday granted bail to Vaghela. After the July 24 incident came to light, three suspension orders were issued against Vaghela and two against Bambhaniya on Saturday and Monday. While suspension orders were issued against both the constables for using private vehicle and taking Kariya to Junagadh, Vaghela was also suspended for getting drunk. Amreli SP Himkar Singh said, “We issued the suspension orders after it came to light that the two constables had taken Kariya to Gandhinagar in a private vehicle against instructions to take him to Gandhinagar in a state transport bus. They had also taken Kariya to Junagadh and allowed him to go to his residence though they were not supposed to take that route. Further, Vaghela was involved in a brawl at a restaurant in a drunken state.” He added that 28 cases under Gujarat Prohibition Act have been registered against Kariya in around a dozen districts of Gujarat. “He was arrested by LCB (Local Crime Branch) of Amreli around three months ago and is lodged at Amreli District Jail. The two constables were assigned the duty of escorting him to a court in Gandhinagar.” Singh said that despite the brawl in Junagadh, the police managed to bring Kariya back to Amreli District Jail. Incidentally, Kariya’s wife Nita is a corporator of the ruling BJP in Junagadh Municipal Corporation.
