Police commissioner's stenographer arrested for murder of NRI Pankaj Trived

Ahmedabad, July 11, 2006
Ramesh Tiwari

The Judge TV Joshi remanded Ghanshyam Patuba Chudasama , who worked as a stenographer at the city police commissioner's office, to 10-day police custody. Senior police officials said many more arrests would soon follow. Chudasama has been booked for murder and criminal conspiracy. "We have strong evidence against him and arrested him under section 302 and 120 (b) of the IPC," said PK Jha, Ahmedabad additional commissioner of police. Chudasama's arrest is the sixth in the case.

"Ghanshyam Chudasama had guided the killers and had arranged their accommodation at a hotel," he added. "While seeking Ghanshyam's remand we had argued that the accused had masterminded the killing of Trivedi who was clubbed to death on June 15 outside a private club here," public prosecutor NS Saini said.

Chudasama has confessed before the cops and also led them to a shop in Rajkot from where the baseball bat used to kill Trivedi was purchased. He has also helped the cops recover an iron rod used in the murder. It was buried in a public garden in Thaltej.

Chudasama was one of the prime suspects in the case. He was suddenly transferred to the Ahmedabad police headquarters a few days after Trivedi's murder as officials found out he had made several phone calls to other Swadhyayis immediately after the murder.

According to Jha, Chudasama was one of the main persons to have planned the murder about three months ago. "He was also involved in the recce before the murder and was in touch with prominent Swadhyayis," Jha said, without divulging the names.