Dalit Cong leader and family booked under Gujarat Terror Act after threatening to convert to Islam
Gandhinagar: Three weeks after threatening to convert to Islam if no action was taken against Gondal BJP MLA Geetaba Jadeja and her husband over an alleged assault on his son, Congress Dalit leader Rajesh alias Raju Solanki and four of his family members have been charged under the Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organised Crime Act. The police accused them of running a crime syndicate since 2014.
Inspector JJ Patel of the Local Crime Branch in Junagadh filed an FIR under Sections 3(1)(2), 3(4) of the Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organised Crime Act and the Arms Act at a Division Police Station, Junagadh. The complaint lists Raju, his brother Jayesh alias Javo alias Savan Solanki, his sons Sanjay and Dev, and his nephew Yogesh Bagda as accused. Raju, his two sons, and his nephew have been arrested, while Jayesh remains in judicial custody for an attempt to murder case involving a doctor.
The FIR highlights multiple previous criminal cases against the family members, including attempted murder, assaulting policemen, theft, robbery, rioting, extortion, kidnapping, and criminal intimidation over the past decade. The police described Raju as the gang's leader, citing the registration of numerous cases against each family member.
The charges follow Raju's threat on July 11 to convert to Islam if the state government did not act against the accused MLA and her husband, Jayrajsinh. The threat was made after Raju's son, Sanjay, allegedly faced assault, kidnapping, and threats from a group of 11 men, including the MLA's son, Jyotiradityasinh alias Ganesh.
Superintendent of Police Harshad Mehta denied that the charges were retaliatory, stating that the accused had a history of criminal activities and that the recent Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organised Crime Act charges were based on these findings. He noted that despite the high-profile nature of the case, the accused continued their criminal activities, including a recent assault on a doctor by Jayesh and others.
A chargesheet has already been filed against the 11 accused in the assault on Sanjay, who is the president of the Junagadh city unit of the National Students Union of India (NSUI), the Congress's student wing.
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
