The Ahmedabad police on Friday apprehended a cleric for allegedly supplying pistol and cartridges which were said to have been used by two persons for shooting down a 30-year-old youth for uploading an objectionable religious post on Facebook in Dhandhuka town, about 100 km away from Ahmedabad city.
Police said that it has apprehended the cleric (Maulvi) Mohammed Ayub Y Jabrawala, 51, a resident of Jamalpur, in Ahmedabad city for allegedly supplying the pistol and five cartridges to Shabbir Chopda alias Saba Dadabhai, 25. Police have alleged Chopda and co-accused Imtiaz Pathan, 27, both residents of Dhandhuka, Ahmedabad district of killing Kishan Boliya, 30, at 5:30 pm on January 25, for his post "insulting" Islam. They have been booked for murder, attempt to murder, arms act to be read with criminal conspiracy.
Boliya was riding pillion with his brother Bhaumik when the two bike-borne men started chasing them. The investigation has found that Pathan was allegedly riding the motorcycle while Shabbir shot at Boliya. The FIR quotes Bhaumik as saying that one bullet barely missed his ear. The second one hit Boliya in his right chest forcing him to fall from the moving bike. FIR stated that the bike-borne men too got down, shot Boliya in his head and ran away. Bhaumik has stated in the FIR that he couldn't recognise the assailants.
"We have arrested two persons- Shabbir and Imtiaz. Shabbir, who is a little radicalized, had fired at Boliya while Imtiaz was riding the bike. It has come to our notice that Shabbir has been in touch with two maulvis giving radical speeches. He met the first maulvi in Mumbai and through him, he came in contact with maulvi Ayub who is a resident of Jamalpur. It was Maulvi Ayub who supplied the weapons to Shabbir," Ahmedabad district superintendent of police Virendra Singh Yadav told media persons. Ayub will formally be arrested after his covid-19 test result.
Yadav said that Shabbir, who is facing a separate criminal case of robbery in Botad district, met the two religious priests-Ayub and one from Mumbai whose identity hasn't been revealed, at Shah-e-Alam in Ahmedabad some four months ago, where the trio allegedly discussed to take on everyone commenting against Islam. Police said it was under these circumstances when Shabbir decided to kill Kishan Boliya against whom an FIR for hurting religious sentiments had been registered on January 6 at Dhandhuka police station following a complaint filed by a group of men from the Muslim community.
Shabbir is alleged to have decided to kill Boliya after he was released on bail by a local court. He allegedly met Ayub and procured the weapons. Sources said that Shabbir is said to have been upset over the late lodgement of FIR and the quick bail of Boliya. Meanwhile, the minister of state for home Harsh Sanghavi met Boliya's family and assured them of justice. He said that it was a case of criminal conspiracy.
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