Cop serving sentence in Lakhan Bhaiyya case dies

Arvind Sarvankar, the assistant police inspector (API) who was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment along with 13 other policemen in the Ramnarayan Gupta alias Lakhan Bhaiyya fake-encounter case by the sessions court, died in JJ hospital on Thursday morning. 

According to the hospital authorities, Sarvankar died of acute respiratory distress. 

Sarvankar was lodged in Taloja jail. On September 4, he complained of giddiness and fell on the ground. The jail authorities admitted him to the Vashi municipal hospital but after his body was paralysed below the neck, he was shifted to JJ hospital.

“The incident took place around 3pm on September 4. He was immediately taken to Vashi municipal hospital. But later he was shifted to JJ hospital when his condition deteriorated,” said a jail officer. 

Sarvankar had joined the police force in 1989. He was posted at the DN Nagar police station when Lakhan Bhaiyya was killed. He was a part of the team that carried out the fake encounter. Before his arrest in the case, Sarvankar was posted at the Aarey Colony police station.

Lakhan Bhaiyya was killed in November 2006 near Nana Nani park at Versova. The fake encounter was led by police inspector Pradeep Suryavanshi. Suryavanshi was attached to DN Nagar police station. 

Sarvankar was arrested on the charges of abduction, murder and conspiracy.