Gujarat CID head constable gets bail but suspended from service

According to an FIR registered at Bhachau police station, on Sunday evening, Chaudhary and “bootlegger” Yuvrajsinh Jadeja – a resident of Juni Moti Chirai village near Bhachau town – allegedly tried to run over six policemen with their Thar car that did not have a registration plate. The two were arrested from National Highway 41 near Bhachau town.

The police had seized 16 bottles of liquor and two tins of beer from the car – cumulatively worth Rs 1,880 – which Jadeja stopped only when Dineshkumar Zala, a sub-inspector of Bhachau police station, fired on it.

Based on a complaint filed by Zala, the two were booked under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees) and 114 (abettor present when offence is committed) of the Indian Penal Code on Sunday.

Based on a complaint filed by constable Mohan Sonara, who was accompanying Zala, another offence was registered against the two under the Prohibition Act. “We are in the process of arresting the two in connection with the Prohibition case,” Kutch East Police SP Sagar Bagmar said.

Meanwhile, the Thar being driven by Jadeja did not have a registration number, a registration certificate recovered from the car showed that the vehicle was registered in the name of a local journalist in Gandhidham. “The constable claims that Limbachiya is a friend of hers,” an officer said.

“During interrogation, Chaudhary said that she and Yuvrajsinh came in contact via Instagram and Facebook around six months ago and became friends. It is possible, initially she might not have known about the criminal antecedents of Yuvrajsingh. But it is unbelievable that she might not have known Yuvrajsinh’s illegal activities after interactions with him,” the officer said.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Chaudhary’s advocate Dilip Joshi Chaudhary said that on Wednesday, the constable moved the court of Bhachau Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate D S Dabhi, seeking bail in the attempt to murder case. The plea was allowed by the court.

“We brought to the notice of the court that this very court had on Tuesday rejected police application seeking her remand, as it had found no reasonable grounds for remand. We said that when there is no need for her custodial interrogation, the applicant, being a woman, should be enlarged on bail under CrPC Section 437, which empowers a lower court to grant bail to minors, women and infirm, among others, even in case of non-bailable offences. The court agreed with our submission and granted Chaudhary bail.”

Previously, 16 cases have been registered at Bhachau police station against Jadeja, who was wanted in four of them.