An eight-member police team from the Ghatlodia station and Crime Branch searched suspended IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatts home for several hours on Saturday,rummaging through everything from womens wardrobes to the refrigerator,looking for evidence to support allegations that the officer had fabricated evidence and forced a police constable to give false testimony. The police,who had searched the home until midnight on Friday,initially came without a warrant,and were denied entry by Bhatts wife Shweta. According to the family,an officer asked to be allowed to do their job,and promised he would produce the search warrant tomorrow. When the family did not budge,the policemen went away and returned with a warrant signed by ACP N C Patel,which said on the instructions of the Ahmedabad police commissioner,the investigating officer has been asked to conduct a search at Sanjiv Bhatts residence. The police then went around the three-storey house,taking video and pictures,the family said. They allegedly opened the refrigerator,shoe racks,Shweta and her daughters cupboards in the bedrooms,and looked under the dining table. They seized the CPU of a computer,and borrowed some paper and glue from the Bhatts to seal the unit. They then took pictures of the terrace and water tank. According to the family,one of the inspectors got a call,after which they began to examine the bronze and brassware in the house. A brassware expert was called in,who allegedly put the value of the artefacts at Rs 40,000. Shweta said her protests were ignored,and some senior officers whom she tried to call did not respond. Yesterday a team of 20 policemen went to my 76-year-old mother-in-laws house to search. She did not even know that her son had been arrested, Shweta said.
