Father-son duo killed in Gujarat’s Junagadh district, police point at decade-old family feud, revenge killing

What happened on Friday

According to an FIR registered at the Vanthali police station, the murders took place in Rafiq’s uncle Hussain Umar Sandh’s agricultural farm where the father-son duo used to sleep at night.

The FIR quotes Hussain Umar as saying that he heard gunshots on the northern edge of his agricultural farm and when he ran in that direction and flashed his torch, he saw Rafiq Adam lying on the ground while Rahim alias Khuri Isa Sandh and Hanif Ismile Sandh shooting at him.

Juma Habib Sandh, who was a part of the group of assailants, was also there with a steel pipe in his hand, the FIR quotes Hussain Umar as saying.

The FIR quotes Hussain Umar as further saying that just when the three men, who shot dead Rafiq ran away towards the western edge of his agricultural farm, he heard another gunshot on the eastern edge of the farm. When he went there and flashed his torch in that direction, he saw Pola Yusuf Sandh firing at Jihal while Abdul alias Ablo Ibrahim Sandh and Ismile Ibrahim Sandh were also there, wielding sticks in their hands.

The police said Khuri is a resident of Zampodad village of the Vanthali taluka near Ravni. The remaining five are residents of Ravni. The two villages are around 11 km apart.

The back story

The double murder in Ravni village came 14 months after Salim Habib Sandh, 31, a distant nephew of history-sheeter Jusab Allarakha Sandh, who is facing around two dozen criminal cases, was allegedly shot dead by two bike-borne men in the streets of Ravni village on March 8, 2023.

Later on, the police had identified Latif Abdul Sandh, 22, a resident of Tikar (Padardi) village of Vanthali taluka, as the shooter who was riding pillion and Mustaq Dal, 20, a resident of Jamvadi in Malia taluka of Junagadh district as the man who was driving that bike.

According to police, Salim had murdered Latif’s father Abdul around 10 years ago due to an old enmity and Latif avenged his father’s death in 2023 after Salim came out of jail.

Bipin Thacker, deputy superintendent of police (DySP) of the Keshod sub-division of Junagadh police said the murders of Rafiq and Jihal were also an act of revenge killing.

“During the course of investigation of Salim’s murder, it emerged that Jihal, who was a minor then, had tipped-off Latif about Salim’s whereabouts and movements. Therefore, Jihal was detained and produced before a juvenile justice board in connection with Salim’s murder and subsequently, sent to an observation home. However, later on, he was released on bail,” Thacker told The Indian Express.

Fourth murder in the Sandh family

Yashpalsinh Rana, police sub-inspector (PSI) in charge of Vanthali police station said that this is the fourth murder in the Sandh family feud which started more than a decade ago.

“In 2012, Jusab, Salim and the others had murdered Abdul alias Ablo Gameti alias Ablo Sandh. Ablo and Jusab were first cousins on the maternal side of their families. Around a decade later, Ablo’s son Latif shot dead Salim to avenge his father’s death. Now, the Sandh family faction led by Jusab has killed Rafiq and Jihal who were Latif’s maternal uncle (brother of mother) and cousin. Thus, four men have been murdered in the Sandh family feud which began in 2012,” Rana told The Indian Express.

Rana added, “Those named in the FIR registered in connection with the murders of Rafiq and Jihal are close relatives of Salim and Jusab.”

After Jihal was released

In his complaint, Hussain Umar told the police that Jihal had spent nine months in an observation home for boys subsequent to his arrest in the Salim murder case. But when he was released, his father Rafiq started living in a cottage on their family land in Ravni. The father-son duo would go to Hussain Umar’s nearby farm to sleep.

The FIR quotes Hussain Umar as further saying that after Jihal’s alleged involvement in Salim’s murder surfaced, Hussain Alarakha Sandh, a resident of Ravni and a relative of Jusab Alarakha Sandh had met him (Hussain Umar) two-three times and threatened that they would not be spared as they had dared to take the fight to Jusab Alarakha’s house.

Based on Hussain Umar’s complaint, the police have booked the six alleged assailants and Hussain Alarakha Sandh for murder, criminal conspiracy, criminal intimidation, unlawful assembly, rioting etc as well as under relevant sections of the Arms Act.

On the murder of father-son duo

“The assailants fled the spot after shooting the two victims who died on the spot,” Thacker said, adding, “We have deployed police in Ravni as a precautionary measure. We have also deployed police at the residences of the accused since Rafiq is also on the run after Latif jumped parole and can retaliate to the killings of the father-son duo.”

After he jumped parole in June 2018, Jusab was nabbed by a team of women officers of the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of Gujarat while he was hiding in the hillocks in Botad district since May 2017. Jusab is presently lodged in judicial custody, the police said.