Ex-minister held, released on bail in Jamnagar

JAMNAGAR, Oct 19: Former minister Raghavji Patel and two others were arrested on Sunday in connection with a cheating case and were released on bail at 2 a.m. on Monday. The magistrate turned down the police plea for remand, saying the entire case was based on documentary evidence, and there appeared no need for police remand of the accused.

Gujarat Water Board officials had filed complaints that when Patel was minister, contracts to construct cheap toilets had been awarded to two firms that collected payment without doing the work.

Patel is allegedly associated with the companies. After his release on bail, Patel, who was a minister in the Rashtriya Janata Party (RJP) government, said, “This is nothing by political atrocity by the Bharatiya Janata Party”.

He said the BJP was stooping to the lowest extent in public life.Car stolen: One Ashfaq Mohammad Mohammadbashir, a resident of Banas flat, Paldi,in Ahmedabad lodged a complaint with Ellisbridge police that his Maruti car (GJ-1 BP 7865) worth Rs 3.5 lakh was stolen when it was parked near Kagdiwad on Saturday.