52 days on, cops clueless about Kaniyo

Vadodara: Fifty-two days ago after he walked out of the Wadi police station in the city and melted into the darkness of the adjacent narrow lanes, police are yet to track down notorious criminal Azharuddin Sindhi alias Ajju Kaniyo.
The absconding of Ajju, who was picked up in an extortion case on June 14, has become a major embarrassment for the police after he casually strolled out of the police station in presence of many cops.
“Apart from the crime branch sleuths, a team led by a police sub-inspector (PSI) is trying to track down Ajju. We have information that he has left the city,” said a police official from Wadi police station.
Interestingly, no action has been taken against any cop despite the criminal giving cops a slip as he wasn’t under formal arrest.
Ajju, his brother Iqbal and Wali Mohammed Qureshi were picked up for threatening a man demanding money and a flat from him. As per mandatory norms, Ajju and Wali were taken to SSG Hospital for Covid-19 tests before they could be arrested. The duo was then brought to Wadi police station for further questioning.
While waiting for his Covid test results, Ajju casually walked out of the police station at about 1 am and went missing. Wadi cops realised this only after some time. Ajju’s Covid test results came a day after he disappeared and he tested negative.
Ajju has over 35 offences including extortion, attempt to murder, loot, rioting and assault registered against him at different police stations in the city. He has been detained four times under the Prevention of Anti-Social Act (PASA) in the past and even externed twice. He was an accused in the communal riots that broke out in the old city in 2017.