Shailesh Pandya a 36-year-old shooter, wanted by Gujarat police for the murder of RTI activist Amit Jethwa in Ahmedabad in July, was today arrested for possessing illegal firearms, police said.
A 36-year-old shooter, wanted by the Gujarat police for allegedly killing Right to Information (RTI) activist Amit Jethwa outside the Ahmedabad high court, was on Tuesday arrested in Mumbai.
He was in possession of firearms.
The arrested person has been identified as Shailesh Pandya, a native of Patan in Gujarat.
According to the police, a trap was laid near a bus stop at Kurla and Pandya was arrested as soon as he arrived there. “On searching his bag, a country-made pistol, a revolver and seven cartridges were recovered. He was then arrested under the Arms Act,” said joint commissioner of police, crime, Himanshu Roy.
“Pandya had shot dead RTI activist Amit Jethwa outside the high court in July, this year. He will be handed over to the Gujarat Police now,” Roy added.
Jethwa’s father Bhikabhai has alleged that BJP MP from Junagadh, Dinu Solanki, was involved in his son’s murder and had demanded a CBI investigation. Dinu Solanki’s nephew Pratap alias Shiva Solanki and a police constable Bahadursinh Vadher were among the five accused arrested by the Gujarat Police so far in connection with the murder.
Jethwa was killed a few days after he filed a public interest litigation (PIL) against illegal mining in the protected Gir sanctuary in Junagadh district. He had made Dinu Solanki one of the respondents.
According to the chargesheet filed by Gujarat Police, Vadher and Solanki conspired to eliminate Jethwa because the activist was a threat to their mining business. He was using the RTI route to extract information and then file complaints against them.
In November 2008, Pandya had also shot at four persons in Gujarat, injuring them seriously, suspecting that they were responsible for the death of his lover Surekha Rabaadi. An attempt to murder case was registered against him after the incident, police said.
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