Tantrik dies in Gujarat police's custody; officials claim he committed 12 murders
Ahmedabad, Dec 8: A 42-year-old tantrik arrested for allegedly conspiring to murder a businessman died in police custody in Gujarat's Ahmedabad on Sunday after admitting to killing 12 people by giving them drinks laced with a chemical, police said.
The Sarkhej police arrested Navalsinh Chavda around 1 am on December 3 when he was on his way to commit the crime after his partner for a taxi business with whom he shared the plan tipped off the police, an official said.
The police secured Chavda's remand till 3 pm on December 10 for further probe into his occult practices and possible involvement in human sacrifices, he said.
"Around 10 am on Sunday, Chavda fell ill and was rushed to the civil hospital in an ambulance, but the doctors declared him dead on arrival. The accused confessed to 12 murders during interrogation, and all deaths had occurred due to consumption of sodium nitrite," the official said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Shivam Verma said the accused confessed to having committed 12 murders by making his victims consume sodium nitrite dissolved in water during occult rituals.
Chavda admitted to having murdered a man in Ahmedabad, six in Surendranagar, including three members of his family, three in Rajkot, and one each in Wankaner (Morbi district) and Anjar (Kutch district), Verma said.
He said the accused confessed to having murdered a man whose body was found in the Aslali area of Ahmedabad in August 2021 in what appeared to be a road accident. A post-mortem later suggested it to be a case of death by poisoning.
The probe has also revealed that the accused had similarly killed his grandmother around 14 years ago and his mother and uncle a year ago, Verma said.
According to the police, Chavda procured sodium nitrite, a chemical used for dry cleaning, from a laboratory in his hometown, Surendranagar.
Due to poisoning, several of his victims died of heart attacks, while the nature of the deaths of a few other victims was a matter of investigation, the official said.
Chavda had found out about the chemical from another tantrik. The substance would take effect 15 to 20 minutes after consumption and cause heart attack, etc., leading to death, he said.
The accused called himself a "bhuvaji" and proclaimed that he had the power to perform magic and miracles. He also had an ashram at Wadhwan in Surendranagar where he practised black magic, police said.
He would offer to multiply his victims' wealth or solve their problems, they said.
The police had recovered incriminating evidence from Chavda's vehicle, including items used in rituals and white powder.
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Bengaluru jail introduces biometric tracking system for prisoners
Bengaluru: In a bid to curb misconduct and illegal activities inside Parappana Agrahara Central Prison, prison authorities have introduced a new ‘Prisoners Tracking Movement System’ under which inmates will have to undergo biometric verification while entering every barrack.
According to jail officials, biometric systems have been installed across all major sections of the prison, including barracks, visitor rooms, hospital, canteen, kitchen, library, playground, handicraft units and bakery sections. Staff members have also been deployed at these locations.
Officials said inmates visiting the visitors’ room must now obtain a digital token after biometric verification. Details such as the prisoner’s name, identification number and entry time will be updated in the prison software system. This will help authorities maintain a complete digital record of inmates visiting and returning from meeting rooms.
Similar systems have also been introduced at entry points of the hospital, library and other barracks accessed for work-related purposes. Officials said the system will help identify prisoners involved in suspicious or illegal activities with other inmates and enable authorities to track how much time a prisoner spends at different locations inside the prison.
Authorities stated that AI-powered cameras were already being used inside the prison to monitor inmates as well as prison staff. Along with this, digital tracking of prisoner phone calls and a digital token system for visitor meetings have now been added to strengthen surveillance over inmate movement. Officials said the project has been implemented at a cost of around Rs 2.25 crore.
The prison department has also introduced a canteen usage tracking system to monitor prisoners’ spending patterns. Instead of direct cash payments, inmates can purchase bakery items and snacks using wallets or coupons issued within the prison system.
Officials said the digital system will record details including the buyer’s name, items purchased, quantity, date, time and remaining wallet balance. This will allow prison authorities to maintain complete expenditure records of inmates.
