Rajkot priest, battling for life, booked for son’s murder

Rajkot: A 45-year-old priest who had poisoned his son and daughter on Sunday before attempting to take his own life was booked for murder on Tuesday after his 21-year-old son, Ankit, died late on Monday night .
According to police, Kamlesh Labadiya along with his 22-year-old daughter Krupali are still unconcious and battling for their lives.
Cops said Labadiya, a resident of Shivam Park in Nana Mava area of Rajkot, was suffering from depression after being reportedly cheated by two persons whom he had sold his house for Rs 1.2 crore. He purportedly fed his children poison-laced water claiming it to be a medicine that will protect them from Covid-19 infection.
Labadiya had also prepared the same drink for his wife Jayshree, but as she was busy in some household work, he consumed it before her. Jayshree lodged a complaint of murder, attempt to murder against her husband with Rajkot taluka police station.
Labadiya had also left behind a suicide note blaming Dileep Korat and RD Vora for forcing him take the extreme step. “Dileep Korat and RD Vora are responsible for my death. I am helpless. There is no work due to pandemic conditions. I don’t even have Rs 5,000 at present and there are instalments of car and home loans to be paid,” Labadiya wrote in his suicide note.
“Ever since the incident, Korat and Vora have gone incommunicado and their phones have been switched. We are awaiting Labadiya’s statement for further probe as he has not regained consciousness and we want to know the chain of events that led him to take this extreme step,'' police said.
Primary probe suggests that Labadiya entered into an agreement with Korat and Vora to sell his house for Rs 1.2 crore as he needed money for marriages of his son and daughter. “It seems that Labadiya was cheated by the accused. The duo reportedly purchased his house but did not give full payment thus forcing Labadiya to take the extreme step,” a police official said. It is reported that the accused claimed that they had paid the full amount to a lawyer who had brokered the deal.