Godhra accused jumps bail, gives cops the slip

A key accused in the Godhra train carnage case, Salim Yusuf Jarda, jumped bail and escaped this evening. Claimed by the Special Investigatio...

A key accused in the Godhra train carnage case, Salim Yusuf Jarda, jumped bail and escaped this evening. Claimed by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) as a ‘‘core group member’’, Jarda — on a two-day bail — was visiting home in Singal Falia locality for a religious ceremony.

He was arrested in Rajasthan in June.

The Panchmahals SP, Brajesh Kumar Jha, confirmed Jarda’s escape. ‘‘We’re looking for him but have got no clue in the last few hours,’’ he told The Indian Express.

Meanwhile, the three Ahmedabad police constables who were accompanying Jarda have been arrested under Sections 224 and 225 of the IPC for negligence in duty, said SIT sources.

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Jarda’s two-day temporary bail was to expire at 7.45 pm today, but he was not found. The five constables stationed outside his house had to return without Jarda and informed the Godhra police station about the accused’s escape.

Singal Falia, being an extremely congested and crowded locality, helped Jarda escape, said sources. Godhra police have barricaded the locality and are conducting strict surveillance in the town.

Arrested in Rajasthan in June, Jarda is said to be a member of the ‘‘core group’’ that had torched the S-6 coach of the Sabarmati Express at Godhra railway station on February 27, 2002.

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