Ahmedabad, April 28: In a major development after the Sohrabuddin case was handed over to the CBI in January this year, the agency on Wednesday arrested a senior Gujarat IPS officer, Abhay Chudasama,  in connection with the Sohrabuddin fake encounter.

Mr Chudasama, head of the Ahmedabad crime branch, is the fourth IPS officer to be arrested for the sensational fake encounter of Sohrabuddin and subsequent murder of his wife Kauser Bi by the Gujarat police in November 2005.
Mr Chudasama, a promotee IPS officer, is considered very close to minister of state for home Amit Shah.He is also the 14th police officer arrested for the abduction and murder of Sohrabuddin Sheikh and his wife Kauser Bi in 2005. The death of Sohrabuddin, who was shot dead in a fake encounter, was first investigated by the Gujarat CID, but after this probe came under severe criticism from the Supreme Court for deliberately moving too slowly, and for shoddy investigation, the matter was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation.
The CBI has charged Mr Chudasama with trying to influence witnesses into changing their testimony. He also allegedly arranged the weapons that were used to stage the encounter, including the one that was planted on Sohrabuddin.
Sohrabuddin and his wife were travelling in a bus in Andhra Pradesh in 2005 when they were grabbed by the police and subsequently taken to a farmhouse in Gujarat. Sohrabbudin was allegedly taken by the police to a nearby highway, and several bullets were fired to make it appear that he had attacked the police. Kauser Bi was taken away from the farmhouse and was never found again. Investigating officials suspect she was set on fire.
Three senior police officers arrested earlier in the case include former DIG D.G. Vanzara, superintendent of police Rajkumar Pandyan (both from the Gujarat police), and superintendent of police Dinesh M.N. of the Rajasthan police. These three were arrested by the Gujarat CID in May 2007.

Deepal Trivedi