Babu Sheikh custodial death case: Search Operation to recover the body

The Crime Investigation Department (CID) team with the help of the Vadodara Fire Brigade team began a search operation inside the Narmada Canal passing from Chhani in the custodial death of Babu Sheikh.

According to the details, the six accused policemen were not cooperating with the investigation during their remand period and CID failed to extract any details about where the body of Babu Sheikh was dumped.
CID belived that the body might have been dumped in the canal.

The fire brigade started the search from Tuesday morning. In order to complete the operation smoothly, the water supply will also be kept on hold. “With prior permission, the fire brigade team and SDRF is assisting the CID team in search for the body in the custodial death matter. The whole canal from Chhani to Sevasi will be searched in nearly 12 hours of operation. We are using heavy machinery and ultra-modern equipment in searching the body and hopefully be able to help the investigating team with strong evidence in the case,” said Om Jadeja Sub Fire Officer Chhani TP 13.

As per the details, a native of  Telangana, Babu Sheikh (age 62) was living in Ahmedabad and used to sell shawls by visiting various cities every day including Vadodara. On 10-12-2019 he came to Vadodara with his son-in-law Ibrahim Khan Kasim Khan Pathan (also a resident of Telangana) and both had breakfast near the ST depot. After that Babu Sheikh put the sheets on the bicycle and went for selling.

Meanwhile the surveillance staff of Fatehgunj Police Station detained Sheikh Babu Sheikh on the suspicion of burglary at the house of Satish Thakkar, a resident of TP-13 area. He was brought to Fategunj Police Station and tied to chairs in the computer room and was tortured physically and mentally to make him confess to the theft. They used third-degree torture to make him confess to the crime by holding a pen between his hand and later he died. After the death of Sheikh Babu Sheikh, the then PI of Fatehganj police station Dharmendrasinh Butaksinh Gohil, P.S.I. Dasharath Madhabhai Rabari and members of surveillance squad Pankaj Mawji, Yogendrasinh Jilansinh, Rajesh Savji, and Hitesh Shambhubhai were accused of disposing the body and destroying the evidence.

A murder case was registered against the accused. The investigation was handed over to CID crime (Gandhinagar) and SP Girish Pandya had started investigating in the case.