Date:27/04/2003 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2003/04/27/stories/2003042703900900.htm

Other States - Gujarat

Pandya murder: vehicles seized

By Our Special Correspondent

AHMEDABAD APRIL 26. The police here have seized two motorbikes believed to have been used by those involved in the murder of the former Gujarat Minister of State for Home and Revenue, Haren Pandya.

Sources said one of the unclaimed motorbikes was used by the killer to flee from the spot and another by his associated to keep a watch on the movement of police vehicles.

The sources said the recovery of motorbikes had no connection with the arrest last night of three more persons in Hyderabad in connection with the case. The recovery of the vehicles and the weapon used and establishing the motive behind the murder are considered to be the missing links in the crime being investigated by the CBI and the city crime branch police.

The sources could not say when those held in Hyderabad would be brought to Ahmedabad on transit remand for questioning by the CBI. The total number of arrests has now gone up to 18. Ten were arrested by the crime branch from Ahmedabad and five including Ashgar Ali, who is believed to have pressed the trigger, were arrested in Hyderabad earlier.

Women stage dharna

Meanwhile, Muslim women today staged a dharna in the Panchkuva locality here and handed over a memorandum to the City Police Commissioner protesting against the alleged "police harassment'' of Muslims. They alleged that the police were picking up men at random from houses in the Muslim-dominated areas such as Kalupur, Jamalpur and Juhapura. They also alleged that the police were using abusive language and harassing women to know the whereabouts of their sons and husbands.

The women opposed the application of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) against all the 10 Muslim youths arrested in connection with the murder and said the police had `failed' to build a case to justify application of the Act. They threatened to intensify their agitation if no action was taken to stop the `harassment' and withdrawal of POTA in the next couple of days.