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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©️Translated into English by Pallavi Gupta🌷
