The CBI, investigating the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case, is likely to examine the telephone call records of certain accused IPS officers and the then state government officials posted at the Gujarat chief minister’s office in connection with its probe related to the case.
Sources in the agency said, “The agency is preparing to examine telephone call records of accused IPS officers and the then state government officials posted at the Gujarat CM’s office following the recent allegations levelled by Rubabuddin Sheikh, brother of Sohrabuddin Sheikh”. In a recent letter written to the CBI, Rubabuddin demanded that the agency should examine more than six dozens of phone calls of accused IPS officers and some officials posted at the CMO at that time for their alleged role in the killings of Sohrabuddin Sheikh and Tulsiram Prajapati.
Sohrabuddin, along with his wife Kauser Bi and another person, was picked up during a joint operation by the Gujarat and the Andhra Pradesh police from a bus on November 22, 2005. He was gunned down allegedly in a fake encounter by the Gujarat police’s Anti-Terrorist Squad, which later claimed that he had come to the city to eliminate the then chief minister Narendra Modi. Tulsiram Prajapati, who is believed to be an eyewitness in the alleged Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case, was killed when he allegedly tried to escape from the custody while being shifted back to Gujarat from Rajasthan after attending a court trial. He was killed an encounter on December 28, 2006 near Ambaji in Sabarkantha district of Gujarat.
“If required the agency sleuths may record the statements of certain accused IPS officers and state government officials in this regard. The Tulsiram Prajapati case was earlier investigated by the state CID and an FIR was lodged at Ambaji police station. Seven policemen, including an IPS officer, were arrested in the case,” sources said.