Sohrabuddin was not simply killed in a fake encounter. The chargesheet filed by CBI outlines how Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi’s state home minister Amit Shah and his coterie used Sohrabuddin for their extortion activities and then bumped him off when he started getting too ambitious. Worse, for his encounter, money was reportedly provided by businessmen and industrialists of Rajasthan.
The CBI’s chargesheet against Narendra Modi’s former MoS home Amit Shah, gives a detailed account of extortion racket Shah and his coterie were running and in the process how they used gangster like Sohrabuddin.
In the chargesheet, the prosecution agency has annexed copies of testimonies given by the witnesses before magistrate under Section 164 of CrPC, which is admissible evidence in the court.
Two Ahmedabad-based builders Raman Patel and Dasrath Patel have testified saying they paid Rs 70 lakhs to Amit Shah, Rs 60 lakhs to IPS D.G. Vanjara and Rs 40 lakhs to IPS Abhay Chudasama.
Patel brothers, owner of Popular Builders, were made accused in a firing incident taken place at their office in Navrangpura, which was entirely stag managed by Chudasma with the help of gangster Sohrabuddin.
Two accomplices of Sohrabuddin, Tulsiram Prajapati and Sylvester had apparently carried out firing at the office.
At Popular’s office in December 2004, two persons opened fire and broke window panes.
The investigation in the firing case was immediately given to detection of crime branch of Ahmedabad where D.G. Vanjara was DCP. After a few months of investigation, the police made Patel brothers the accused in the case and held that they hired underworld people to settle their personal rivalries among the brothers and partners. During their remand, they were told to name Sohrabuddin for firing at their office. For this also, money was taken.
A few months later, Sohrabuddin was bumped off in a fake encounter and within two weeks, extortion spree began in which apart from the builder brothers, several other businessmen were also implicated for extortion.
Ajay Patel, a middleman for Mr Shah and who has also been accused in the case, has admitted before the CBI officials that he had taken Rs 70 lakhs from Patel brothers and handed over to Mr Shah.
He also admitted that he had arranged Rs 50 lakhs to be paid to Rubabuddin, Sohrabuddin’s brother, for withdrawing the petition. However, Rubabuddin had refused to accept the money.