06 August 2024

16: Absconding Offenders

 Kartavya: Duty with Dedication

Chapter 16 : Absconding Offenders

The desire to set off a millionaire in a short way leads a man to the path of serious crime. A human being blinded by the greed of wealth does not even think of killing another human being. One such painful incident from the past of twelve years is described here.

It happened twelve years ago when a container carrying five tractors belonging to a trader in Anand went missing. The container owner was trying to contact the driver. But the driver's phone was found switched off. The owner realized that something untoward must have happened. The container with his fellow men went in search of the trailer on Shamalaji Highway. While checking all the hotels on that road one by one, he came to know that a driver with a tractor full of containers had stayed at the same hotel for one night and left early in the morning. There was no trace of where he went after that. The suspicion of the owner became stronger that the driver himself had absconded with the container in temptation. The owner filed a complaint against the driver at the police station. The police, thus, started an investigation.

On the third day of its disappearance, the missing container was found uninhabited in the forest of Chhota Udepur. Apart from this, the tractors loaded in the trailer were also missing. The container owner went to Chhota Udepur and identified the trailer. The container owner's suspicions that the tractor driver might have sold the loaded items turned out to be correct. Now the case was registered in the police station of Chhota Udepur area. The police started a flurry of investigation there too.

The secrets those came out in the investigation were shocking. The names of seven accused were revealed, some of them were from Balasinore and Godhra. The police nabbed some of these seven accused at the same time. While the other accused took advantage of the opportunity and escaped. The arrested accused were severely interrogated.

Based on the confession made by the accused, the container owner's suspicion of container theft on the driver was completely wrong. According to the confessional record, when the container was being transported from Bayad to Kapdwanj, the accused overtook the trailer with a private car and stopped it. One of them climbed into the trailer's cabin and hit the driver. The body was cremated. The tractors in the trailer were stolen and the trailer was left in the forest of Chhota Udepur. Twelve years ago, a complaint of murder was registered at the Bayad police station.

Despite the efforts of the police, the main indictee of the murder had been fugitive for twelve years. But the Bayad police never had given up on hunting him. Once, Bayad P.S.I. Mr. S.K. Desai got a definite information about the accused's son who had become a Maulavi in a village in Kheda district. Mr. Desai reached him and communicated tactfully to get his father’s particulars when it seems hard to get any detail easily. Mr. Desai expounded him that he had initiated the pious religious duties and added If he would commit an act of iniquity by supporting a murderer how Allah would accept his worship. Those words melted Maulavi’s heart. Maulvi answered positively as he told to Mr. Desai, “My father lives in Godhra. I give his address to you. You go and catch him.”

The police pleaded, “Your father has been absconding for twelve years. No policeman knows his face. Please come with us to Godhra.” As Maulavi accepted the police’s words they left for Godhra reached at the given address. They all had to be quite vigilant for the murderer must not to escape that time. The police were dressed plainly. They climbed up the roof of the accused's house and inspected the surrounding area. Police personnel were stationed under cover in all four directions. PSI Desaisaheb knocked the door of the house. As soon as the accused opened the door, the police nabbed him. Due to the vigilance and bravery of the police, at the end of twelve years, the accused of murder was brought to jail.

Anti-social elements are emboldened in the society due to the rampant accused. The police are always cautious to bring such lawbreakers to justice. Police have to work with strength and skill to tackle the criminals and moreover they have to risk their lives. However, Aravalli District Parole Furlough PSI K. S. Sisodia, PSI K. N. Manat and his respective team have a similar heart-wrenching story of catching the remaining 181 culprits. The police are determined to decontaminate the society by taking risks and nabbing the offenders. In the last few years, as many as 182 fugitive indictees have been apprehended and set an example.

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 Kartavya, a police diary by Mr. Ishwar Prajapati in Gujarati

©️Translated into English by Pallavi Gupta🌷

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