Slain lawyer’s brother names land scam accused as conspirator

RAJKOT: Family members of Jamnagar’s prominent lawyer Kirit Joshi (42), who was stabbed to death on Saturday night, has named Jayesh Ranpariya, an accused in the Rs 100-crore land scam, in his complaint lodged with the police.
Joshi’s brother Ashok alleged that Ranpariya had hatched a plot to kill Joshi who had exposed his involvement in the land scam unearthed last year. Ranpariya was arrested and had to spend few months in jail.

“Ashok has alleged that Ranpariya had been harbouring a grudge against Joshi ever since he had exposed his involvement in a land scam running into nearly Rs 100 crore. Ranpariya also had to remain in jail for a long period. Ashok has accused Ranpariya of hiring contract killers to bump off Joshi,” said R G Jadeja, inspector, B-Division police station inspector, Jamnagar.

Joshi was stabbed to death by two assailants in Town Hall area on Saturday night when he came down from his office in Jyot Tower.

The assailants, who had been lying in wait for him on their bike, waylaid and stabbed him. Joshi wriggled out of the assailant’s grip and tried to run back to his office. However, before he could reach the staircase, he was toppled by one of the attackers who dealt him 12 stabbing wounds. Joshi was rushed to GG Hospital where he was declared dead on admission.

While the assailant was stabbing Joshi, his accomplice had kept the bike in a running condition, and when the assailant had stabbed Joshi to death, he jumped on the back seat of the bike and they sped away. The entire crime has been caught on the CCTV camera installed at Jyot Tower. Police are trying to ascertain identity of the accused.

Meanwhile, Jamnagar Bar Association, Rajkot Bar Association and Dwarka Bar Association have called a one-day strike on Monday to protest Joshi’s murder.