Runaway criminal caught near Waghodiya Road

Vadodara: A history-sheeter, who fled from police custody on Thursday, has been nabbed by detection of crime branch (DCB).
The crime branch sleuths received a tip-off about his movements following which they nabbed Priyakant Solanki when he was travelling in an autorickshaw on Ajwa-Waghodia Road on Friday.

Police said when they were checking vehicles on Ajwa-Waghodia Road, they intercepted an autorickshaw. The passenger got down and tried to flee from the spot but cops nabbed him. When questioned, Solanki couldn’t give satisfactory replies following which the cops inquired about him. They learnt that he was the same attempt to murder accused who had fled from police custody in SSG Hospital on Thursday. He was handed over to Raopura police later.

Solanki’s advocate Niraj Jain, however, claimed that the accused had surrendered at Bapod police station on Friday morning. “Solanki fled from the spot and went to his relative’s place. When he contacted me on Friday, I asked him to surrender following which he did the same at Bapod police station,” Jain told TOI.

Solanki was arrested earlier for stabbing a bootlegger near Sardar Estate on Ajwa Road. He had stabbed Sunil Bariya in April last year as the latter had allegedly tipped off police about Solanki’s bootlegging activities. Solanki’s brother Ganesh was also named in the case. He applied for bail, but the sessions court rejected his plea. A police official said Solanki was also booked for theft in the past.

On Thursday, Solanki, who was lodged in Vadodara Central Jail, was brought to SSG Hospital with five other prisoners. After medical check-up in the resident medical officer’s room, Solanki was taken to the store to get the medicines prescribed. When a Lok Rakshak Dal (LRD) jawan was taking Solanki to medico-legal office in the emergency building, Solanki pushed him and fled. LRD jawan Anirudhsinh Gohil chased Solanki, but he managed to slip away. A case was later registered against Solanki for fleeing from police custody and against Gohil and ASI Jayanti Rathwa for negligence in duty.