Kutch police suspect Haryana gangster’s hand in Gandhidham trader’s murder

This is first arrest in the alleged murder of Sachin Dhavan (29). Dhavan, a trader of used-clothes, was allegedly shot dead from close range by two bike-borne men outside his office in Gandhidham on the evening of August 1. The alleged shooters were stopped by two constables at Adesar, around 120 km away in Rapar taluka of Kutch on the basis of suspicion. But the assailants abandoned their bike and a country-made pistol and ran away.

Police say one of the shooters was Rinku Rampal Dhimant of Haryana and part of a gang led by Afroz Ansari, a gangster native of Bihar but active in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. “Irshad is cousin brother of Afroz and Ali. After Dhavan was shot dead, Irshad had given shelter to the twin brothers on August 6 and 7. Our team is camping in Haryana to nab the other accused. But they are orginised criminals and keep on changing their locations constantly,” Gandhidham B Division police inspector Samat Varotariya told The Indian Express on Monday.

Varotariya is the investigating officer of the murder case. Police say that Afroz had a run-in with Dhavan previously also. They say that in 2011, Afroz had tried to extort Rs 30 lakh from Dhavan. As Dhavan filed a police complaint, Afroz and others were booked for extortion. But a Gandhidham court acquitted them all after the two parties reached a compromise. However, in 2015, Afroz hatched a conspiracy to kill Dhavan and gave contract to one Ajay Benival.

Instead of murdering Dhavan, Beniwal sought Rs1 crore protection money from the trader. Eventually, Dhavan filed a police complaint and Beniwal, who is facing multiple cases of murder in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, was arrested by Special Celll of Delhi. Presently, he is lodged in Tihar jail in Delhi. A Gandhidham court has declared Afroz and Ali absconders in this case.

“Dhimant, Ali and Beniwal are part of a 12-member gang who have committed a number of murders in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and are also facing cases of extortions and dacoity. Dhavan was their first target in Gujarat. Since Dhavan’s murder, Afroz has issued similar threats to two other used-clothes traders of Gandhidham and we have filed two separate cases against the gangster,” Varotariya further said.

Dhimant was identified on the basis of papers of the bike which he had purchased around a month ago from Sonipat in Haryana. Police have seized the bike and the firearm.