Three months after the tragic killing of a young BJP worker, police in Surat announced the arrest of a notorious gangster linked to the case. The suspect, captured in Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, is believed to have played a significant role in the murder.
This arrest marks the fourth detainment related to the incident.
Jayesh Dalal, a 21-year-old leader within the BJP’s youth wing and resident of the Dindoli area in Surat, was assaulted by a group of three to four men in Udhna on May 18. Jayesh, affectionately known as Jay, later succumbed to his injuries in a hospital. Following the incident, a murder complaint was filed by his mother, Jayshree Dalal, leading to a case being registered at the Dindoli police station.
In the days following the attack, law enforcement apprehended Milind Koli, Kishan Parmar, and Pankaj Patil, all of whom are from Dindoli. During their interrogation, they revealed that they had acted on the orders of Sagar Sonavne, also known as Manya Dukkar, who is identified as a gangster.
Authorities reported that Sonavne is implicated in 21 criminal cases, including murder, attempted murder, extortion, robbery, and violations of the Arms Act, with charges filed at various police stations in Surat such as Limbayat, Salabatpura, Puna, Khatodara, Sachin, and Dindoli. Although he has faced incarceration twice under the Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organized Crime (GUJCTOC) Act, he was currently on bail.
Karanraj Vaghela, the Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime), stated, “Sagar Sonavne is a well-known criminal leader. He operates his own gang and is associated with 21 serious offenses in Surat. His name came up during our inquiries into Jay Dalal’s murder after questioning the previously arrested individuals. Our teams were actively searching for him, and he was found hiding in a rural village in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district. We have successfully apprehended him and returned him to Surat. We will continue to investigate to uncover the motive behind Jay Dalal’s murder.”
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