Encounter cops bribed to kill?

Bhopal/Udaipur: The police allege that Sohrabuddin Sheikh was a feared gangster and an extortionist. But Sheikh, who was shot dead in an encounter near Ahmedabad on November 26, 2005, was a terrorist too?

Sohrabuddin, 33, was a controversial man. He began his career as a truck driver and allegedly turned to crime. He was accused of transporting 32 AK-56 rifles from Ahmedabad to Jhirniya in Madhya Pradesh in 1995.

His mentor was Abid Khan, known as Chhota Dawood, is a henchman of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. Khan’s partners, Rasool Party, Abdul Latif and Pappu Pathan, are all members of Dawood’s gang.

Sorabhuddin allegedly confessed to the Madhya Pradesh that he was close to Dawood’s men. “At the time of the arms landing, Dawood was in Karachi and all the arms I transported from Ahmedabad belonged to Dawood Ibrahim. After this operation, I realised that I was important to both Chhota Dawood and Latif, Dawood Ibrahim's frontman in Gujarat,” Sorabhuddin says in the confession document.

“Two cases against him were under the Arms Act. Two AK-56 guns were found from his well,” says A K Soni, Inspector General of Madhya Pradesh Police.

Sorabhuddin was in and out of jails in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh and allegedly became a dreaded underworld operative. His operations spread across four states. He had 15 police cases against him in Madhya Pradesh, 7 in Gujarat, 2 in Maharashtra and one Rajasthan.

For his association with Dawood’s gang, he was branded a terrorist—a tag the police would use to their advantage in killing him later.

Sohrabuddin's progress didn't go down well with his own gang and Rajasthan’s Rs 5,000-crore marble industry that he was targeting for extortions. Licenses in the marble industry are in government control, and this leads to money being exchanged between businessmen and political front men.

“Sab isme involved hai, who Congress ka ho ya BJP. Business kisi ke bhai ke naam pe, bhatije ke naam pe, saale ke naam pe kar rakha hai—sab partner hai, " says P G Somen, president of Marble Association, Mewar. (Politicians from all parties are involved—Congress, BJP. They do the business in the name of their relatives.)

In such a grey industry, there is always room for extortionists and strongmen like Sohrabuddin. "Sohrabuddin ke peeche ye sab log kahi na kahi marble wassuli mein involved the. Kahi kisika kabza lena hai, koi dispute hai marble mein, kahi koi minister involved hai. Peechle ek do saal se ye chal raha tha," says Somen. (Sohrabuddin was behind extortions in Udaipur and Rajasthan but these leaders were also backing him)

After eliminating rival gangster Hamid Lala in Udaipur, Sohrabuddin expanded his extortion racket in the marble belt. “Our senior people, who are well placed in the marble industry, received threat calls from anti-social Elements and also from a terrorist,” says Prabhas Rajgharia, president of Marble Processing Association, Udaipur.

Dinesh M N, Superintendent of Police in Udaipur, began an official operation to collect intelligence on Sohrabuddin. Rajasthan's marble traders won’t name Sohrabuddin but insiders admit that he was threatening them for money. Traders admit that Dinesh, who is under arrest for Sohrabuddin's murder, did put an end to their problems.

The marble lobby allegedly asked O P Mathur, BJP General Secretary in Rajasthan, to contact Gujarat IPS officer D G Vanzara, who is now under arrest for Sohrabuddin's murder. Mathur and Vanzara belong to Pali district in Rajasthan. Mathur denies helping the traders.

"I have not met any marble traders for four-five years now, I do not even know the accused police officers, nor do they recognise me," he said.

Sources in Rajasthan Police say the last straw was the threat Sohrabuddin made to the biggest marble trader in Rajasthan in 2005. The trader decided to eliminate him with Vanzara's help. Sources in the Gujarat CID say Vanzara's phone records prove that just before and after Sohrabuddin's encounter the police officer was in regular contact with this trader and his family.

Divya Bhaskar, a Gujarati newspaper, alleges the fake encounter cost the trader Rs 2 crore. The Rajasthan Patrika, another newspaper, also puts the figure in crores, while police sources told CNN-IBN that the figure was Rs 6 crore.

Police sources say Vanjara and Rajkumar Pandian, Superintendent of Police (Intelligence) in Gujarat Police, tracked Sohrabuddin and his wife Kauser Bi to Bidar. SP Rajiv Trivedi of the Hyderabad Special Investigation Unit helped them.

CRPF DIG Radhakrishnaiah, a Gujarat IPS officer, gave logistic support. Pandian's batchmate, M N Dinesh, was also roped in. Trivedi provided cars with fake number plates, in which Sohrabuddin was brought to Ahmedabad and then killed in a fake encounter.

Rajasthan Police Inspector Abdul Rehman filed the report, which says Sohrabuddin was a Lashkar terrorist and died in an encounter. According to rules, the report that should have been filed by a Gujarat policeman.

Vanzara knew he had to be seen assisting the Rajasthan Police. An encounter has to be investigated by the local police station, but Vanzara’s team investigated Soharabuddin’s death.

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