HC notice to Vadodara

Ahmedabad, Mar 29 (UNI) On a writ petition filed by the father of two slain men, Gujarat High Court Justice M D Shah issued notice to police officials of Vadodara ACP and Home department in the ruby theft case.

In December 2006, three men Mihir Lalitchandra Thaker, his brother Darshan Lalitchandra Thaker and Balkrishna Patel were on their way to Jaipur for valuation of a ruby. The car driver Jayanti Patalia while passing through Jodhpur village of Shasera town in Panchmahals district murdered the trio and stole the ruby. He then buried the bodies in a field of the village.

Police had filed an FIR in February 2007 after the bodies were exhumed. Jayanti and his mistress were caught and the ruby was recovered.

In a petition filed in the High Court, Lalitsundar Thaker, father of the two, said the police had failed to focus investigation on the abduction, loot and murder. Instead, they had focussed unnecessarily on the ruby, its worth and other sundry details. He prayed that the High Court direct the case be transferred from the police department to the CBI. The court then gave notice to the State returnable by April five, 2007.

UNI