Gujarat riots accused jumps parole to get daughter married

Officials of Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) on Tuesday arrested a convict who had jumped parole. According to case details, Shaukat Badam alias Ghanchi, 45, resident of Polan bazaar road in Godhra, had been awarded life imprisonment for his involvement in Godhra carnage. However, Gujarat high court ordered his release on parole so that he could attend his daughter's wedding.

Ghanchi came out of the Vadodara jail on December 13, 2011, and was to appear at the jail on December 20. However, he failed to appear on the said date. Meanwhile, the DCB team got a tip-off that Ghanchi would be coming to Gita Mandir bus terminal on Tuesday. Based on this tip-off, they kept a watch and arrested him subsequently. They will now hand him over to the Vadodara jail.

During interrogation, Ghanchi revealed that he had sought permission to attend his daughter's wedding. However, it was cancelled later as the groom's family had demanded dowry which could not be arranged.

Badam and his brother Haji Bilal, an accused himself, were released together from the jail. Badam then went to the latter's house in Godhra. After a few days, he went to Navsari. He had planned to go to Mumbai to earn some money to pay for dowry. He claims that he planned to surrender once he had earned enough money and married off his daughter. He had come to Ahmedabad on his way to Mumbai, where he was arrested. However, Bilal is still at large.

Talking about the arrest, crime branch ACP Mayur Chawda said, "After arresting Badam from Gita Mandir, we seized his phone. We will now procure the call details to know where he went while outside the jail."

Both Bilal and Ghanchi had attended the meeting at Aman guest house in 2002, where the decision to burn Sabarmati Express had been taken. They had procured the kerosene and were involved in setting the coach on fire.