RAJKOT: Onlookers in Khambhaliya town of Devbhumi Dwarka were left shell shocked seeing a man being paraded naked on the streets by two persons on a wintry Tuesday morning.
The victim was identified as 38-year-old Chandu Rudach, who was subjected to this shameful treatment, allegedly because he accused few persons in the town of involvement in bootlegging and cricket betting, on Facebook, on Sunday Rudach was kidnapped in a car near Sharda Cinema by five men of a family. They first thrashed him in the car and broke his mobile phone. Then they disrobed him in the car and started parading him from Jodhpur Naka.
Rudach was forced to walk naked, flanked by three accused, for nearly 45 minutes on the busy road of the main market area. One of them is even seen slapping him in the video that they made and circulated.
Interestingly, the accused dropped him outside a police station and left. Police had earlier got a message that Rudach was kidnapped and had started efforts to trace him.
Later in the day, police arrested the five accused - Bhala Bhojani and his brothers Kirit, Pratap, Kana and Mansinh. Their car was also seized.
In fact, all five arrested persons were also paraded in the main market by the police who said it was for the purpose of crime reconstruction.
Rajkot deputy inspector general of police (DIG), Sandeep Singh, also visited Khambhaliya and directed the police to take strict preventive action against the accused. The investigation has been handed over the local crime branch.
Devbhumi Dwarka SP Sunil Joshi, said, “We came to know that Rudach had made allegations against the brothers by doing a FB live on Sunday.”
Rudach too has eight offences of gambling and seven under prohibition lodged against him. He has a penchant for such rants on FB, said cops.
They were booked under IPC sections of illegal confinement, physical assault, 355 (assault or criminal force with intent to dishonour person), 120(b) (criminal conspiracy) and sections of Information Technology Act as well as obscenity, Hirendra Chaudhary, deputy SP, told TOI. All brothers are engaged in farming and one of them also has a shop in the town. The victim and accused are also related.