Gujarat: ‘Murdered’ man returns to village after five months

PALANPUR: He was presumed to be dead and cremated at his village in Aravalli district in February this year. But the villagers couldn’t believe their eyes when they recently saw Ishvar Manat, a labourer, walking back to his home in Kharpada village. Manat was alive and he too was surprised when the villagers told him about the body that was believed to be his and cremated.
Interestingly, the police had arrested Manat’s brothers for murdering him. But after Manat resurfaced, an inquiry was ordered into the major lapse and IG, Gandhinagar, Abhay Chudasama suspended police inspector, R R Tabiyad of Isri police station on Tuesday. According to the police, the dead body of a man was found wrapped in a sheet at Moti Mori village in Aravalli in February.
The cops investigated the case and after confirmation from the locals as well as a post-mortem report, the investigators declared that the body was of Manat. The police made the decision on the basis of an iron rod that was found from the body’s leg as Manat too reportedly had a similar rod in his leg. After some days, the cops arrested Manat’s two brothers who reportedly confessed to the murder.
The brothers were sent to a sub-jail. Manat said that his brothers were tortured and forced to confess the murder they never committed. When asked where he was for five months, Manat said that he was stuck in Junagadh due to lockdown. The cops are now in a dilemma as they would have to ascertain the identity of the body that was cremated.