AHMEDABAD, SEPT 22
Sending a stern warning to the land mafia and extortionists led by gangster Jayesh Patel that the long arm of the law will crush them with an iron hand, Chief Minister Vijaybhai Rupani, who also holds the Home portfolio, has handpicked and posted Ahmedabad Crime Branch DCP Deepan Bhadran, a 2007 IPS officer, as SP of Jamnagar, sources say.
“Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has taken this crucial decision to post Bhadran in Jamnagar following complaints from the industrialists, businessmen, and realtors against the gigantic rise in crime committed by Jayesh Patel and his gang with impunity,” sources privy to the developments said.
In the Saurashtra region, Jamnagar is strategically important politically and economically as it houses major industrial, defence establishments of the country. If the menace of Jayesh Patel and his gang are not brought under control, it will spell doom for the ruling party as well as the state and the country a whole. Bhadran has been posted on this troubleshooting mission to reimpose the rule of law by extending the protective cover to the industrialists, businessmen and law-abiding citizens. With his no-nonsense attitude, Bhadran will certainly put an end to the growing menace of Jayesh Patel, the sources further added.
“Jayesh Patel is an accused in 41 criminal cases, including murder, extortion and land-grabbing,” said a senior police official.
Alleged political patronage of a senior minister in the state cabinet has attributed to the unhindered growth of Jayesh Patel, who is trying to become the next Vishal Goswami.
Patel, who is believed to have fled to Dubai is known for grabbing land by forging documents. He is allegedly involved in high profile murder of advocate Kirit Joshi in April 2018, the probe of which was handed over to Ahmedabad crime branch.
Police sources said that Patel is accused of forging documents of land worth over Rs.100 crore. After zeroing in on unused premium plots, Patel would obtain land records from the revenue department. Using a 2,000 volt light and a thick glass, he would then overwrite the land deed documents in his favour.
The police alleged that he hired contract killers to eliminate Joshi who was fighting a legal battle against land grabbing.
Of late, there has been a slew of criminal complaints against Patel.
Patel allies Ranparia was also allegedly involved in firing at the house of Purshottam Rajani, a professor with Jamnagar Mahila College, for refusing to pay Rs.1 crore extortion money. Rajani sold plots in Krishna park society on Lalpur bypass against the wishes of Patel. A builder was fired upon by the men of Patel for starting construction in Krishna park.
Even as Patel has gone into hiding, he is running a racket of extortion like Vishal Goswami wherein his aides call up influential people asking them to pay up hefty sums, The Times of India reported.
Bhadran, DCP Crime and also in-charge Superintendent of Police in Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) was one of the four top police officers of Ahmedabad Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) and Gujarat ATS who was involved in an operation to nab an alleged sharpshooter of Chhota Shakeel gang from a hotel in old city Ahmedabad on August 19 where the shooter had arrived from Mumbai to allegedly assassinate Gordhan Zadafia, former junior home minister of Gujarat during 2002 riots.
Bhadran, 39, had been serving in the Ahmedabad DCB for the past five years, considered as a high profile post. Bhadran is considered as a man adept in the information technology sector who is credited with introducing the use of software systems in policing in Ahmedabad.
Bhadran as DCP Crime oversaw various important operations and police work by the Ahmedabad DCB which includes the case of an assassination attempt on former home minister Gordhan Zadafia, tracing Tablighi Jamaat workers who had attended the Delhi congregation ahead of pandemic, Navlakhi garden rape case in Vadodara, Jet Airways threat letter case, Rasik Lal Mehta murder case and 15-year-old murder case of Sajni among others.
The first case under GujCTOC was registered against the Vishal Goswami gang involved in robberies and murder in Gujarat. Vishal Goswami gang was nabbed in March 2015 from UP. The arrest of Basavraj and Sejal, the couple allegedly involved in assaults and murders of witnesses in the Asaram case. Gave crucial information to Gujarat ATS leading to the seizure of 270 kg of Methamphetamine from Ahmedabad outskirts of the city in January 2017. Former MLA Bhavsinh Rathod’s son Kishoresinh Rathod was arrested in that case. The arrest of Afaq Bava, a Mumbai drug mafia from the Maharashtra-Karnataka border on September 17, 2020.
