Informant who gave tip off to cops about ‘serial killer’ occultist arrested
Jigar Gohil was said to have saved the life of Ahmedabad businessman by informing Sarkhej Police about alleged plot of the ‘serial killer’ to murder him.
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As police analysed the CCTV footage from the crime scene, the three accused were spotted boarding an autorickshaw after allegedly committing the theft (Express Photo)Amid the ongoing probe linked to over a dozen killings allegedly committed by a self-styled occultist, who died earlier this month in the custody of Ahmedabad City Police, the man whose tip off led to the arrest of the accused has now been arrested, officials said on Thursday.
Jigar Gohil, who informed the Ahmedabad City Police about the whereabouts of the alleged serial killer, Navalsinh Chavda, has been arrested, said the Rajkot Rural Police. Chavda is said to have murdered as many as 12 people over the last decade, and he allegedly admitted to have committed these crimes after his arrest on December 3.
Gohil was said to have been the man who saved the life of Ahmedabad businessman Abhijeetsinh Bharatkumar Rajput by informing Sarkhej Police about Chavda’s alleged plot to kill him.
He had allegedly “pretended to stay close to Chavda” as he suspected the occultist’s role in the death of his own brother Vivek Bhanu Gohil.
When asked about Gohil’s role in the killings linked to Chavda, Rajkot Rural Superintendent of Police Himkar Singh said, “Gohil knew Chavda had murdered his brother and still drove him around. He was an accomplice in the murder of the four members of one Mukassam family. However, he had a change of heart — firstly, because he knew the next possible victim, Abhijeetsinh Rajput, and didn’t want him to die; and secondly, because he feared that Chavda would kill him next because he knew about the other murders.”
Gohil has been arrested as a co-accused over the killings in the Mukassam family — Kader Ali Mukassam, his wife Farida Kader Mukassam, and their son Asif Kader Mukassam — in Paddhari, said the Rajkot Rural Police. SP Singh also said that Gohil was allegedly an accomplice of Chavda in the murder and disposing of the body of Nagma Kader Mukassam in Morbi’s Wankaner.
Chavda, the 42-year-old occultist, had been arrested at around 1 am on December 3 on the charges of conspiring to murder Abhijeetsinh Bharatkumar Rajput, based on information provided by Gohil. He died on December 8 while he was still in the custody of Sarkhej Police. However, Gujarat Police continued the investigation into the 12 killings. Chavda had allegedly admitted to his role in the murder cases before dying in police custody.
Subsequently, seven deaths — previously attributed to natural causes — were reinvestigated with Surendranagar Police filing a case for the murder of Dipesh Patadiya, Prafulla Patadiya and Utsavi Patadiya in Surendranagar.
Morbi Police also filed a case regarding the murder and hiding of the body of Nagma Kader Mukassam in Wankaner. On Thursday, one more FIR was added to the list for the murders of Nagma’s three other family members by the Rajkot Rural Police.
However, this still leaves questions unanswered in killings of five people: Raj Bavaji in Anjar (Kutch); Vivek Bhanu Gohil in Aslali of Gandhinagar, as well as three members of Chavda’s own family, including paternal grandmother Mangu Bhukhubhai, mother Saroj Kanu Chavda and his paternal uncle Sura Kaka in Surendranagar.
Meanwhile, the custodial death of Chavda is currently under investigation by ACP AB Valand of M Division of Ahmedabad City Police.
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