Gujrat gangster ‘Godmother’ Santokben Jadeja was arrested late on Saturday for sheltering Mohan Hamir, an accused in a case of rape and murder of two girls. IGP (Junagadh Range) Mohan Jha confirmed the arrest.Earlier in the day, the case took an unexpected turn with the Junagadh police registering a case against the erstwhile Porbandar mafia don. After being interrogated in Porbandar, Santokben was taken to Junagadh SP Shailesh Katara’s office. Santokben, meanwhile, termed the development as a “political conspiracy”. “From Porbandar to Gandhinagar, political parties fear I will contest the coming Assembly elections,” she said. According to police, Hamir had been sheltered by Jadeja in Barda Dungar. Her three associates have also been booked. For the police, it’s a major breakthrough after 26 days of groping in the dark. One girl from Rajkot was murdered while her friend from Junagadh was raped on May 13 at Datar Hill, a pilgrimage place in Junagadh. The case later took a political turn with Fisheries Minister and Koli leader Purshottam Solanki tendering his resignation due to delay in arrests. IGP Jha, who has been monitoring the case, has confirmed Santokben’s involvement and said, “Police are collecting some more evidence against her.”According to him, Hamir’s sister Savita Hamir provided the police vital information on June 5. Savita who was present at the scene, identified Santokben and said her brother had been “inducted in Santokben's gang and that she remained quiet as she had been threatened by her”.
