Rajkot:
The suspicion of Amreli police, which is investigating the brutal case of honour killing, has come true with two persons — arrested for burning to death a 22-year-old man — confessing that his lover too has been murdered.
Police had recovered the bones and finger ring of victim Nilesh Patadia, who was missing for the last two months, from a canal in Mahuva taluka of Bhavnagar district. Patadia and Panna Bhukan, a native of Bhanvad village of Mahuva, were deeply in love, but her family was bitterly against their relationship as they were from different castes.
Amreli police arrested Shelar Bhukan and Suresh Vala and booked them for murder of Patadia, while hunt is on for eight others, who are all suspected to be family members of Panna.
“During interrogation, the duo confessed that Panna has also been eliminated. However, we are yet to recover her body and get any evidence,” deputy superintendent of police, Savarkundla division of Amreli district, R L Mavani said. Vala is the cousin brother of Panna’s father, while Shelar is known to her family.
Patadia’s bones have been sent to the forensic science laboratory for DNA test. On August 4, a missing person complaint was lodged in Dhari police station of Amreli district by Patadia’s father. However, police could not trace him and the mystery of his disappearance was only deepening in the last few days. Meanwhile, the police received an audio clip in a CD from an unknown person and this gave cops the lead that Patadia was confined somewhere and was being tortured. Based on this audio clip, the police detained some suspected persons and during their interrogation it was revealed that Patadia had been set ablaze.
Patadia’s father told the police that his son was called to Bhanvad by Panna’s relatives on the pretext that they would get both of them married. However, when Patadia reached Bhanvad, he was kidnapped, tied with a tree and badly thrashed. Police are yet to arrest Bhavesh Bhukan, Badhu Bhukan, Bhaylu Bhukan, Bhola Kamalia, Pratap Bhukan, Bharat Bhukan, Haresh Bhukan and Shakti Bhukan.
Amreli superintendent of police (SP) Nirlipt Rai had told TOI that the girl was missing and they suspected that she was killed too.
Sources said the honour killing is a fallout of the deep-rooted casteist divide in Saurashtra. Patadia belonged to Koli community, while the girl was from Kathi Darbar family.
