Absconder Squad finds fugitives settled, at ease

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">VADODARA: Vikram Gohil abducted a minor girl in 2001 and landed in trouble as an offence of abduction was registered against him. </span><br /><br /><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">He landed in the police net recently. But to the latter''s surprise, the couple is now a family with a baby.And the wife is pregnant! Gohil''s case was just one of the surprises that the Absconders Squad of the city police came across when they cracked down on persons on the run in connection with various offences.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">Even they were amused to see how settled and relaxed were those who should have been behind bars. The case of this couple, however, stands out. They had fallen in love when they were staying in the Kishanwadi area. Knowing that their families would not agree to their marriage, the ran away. But the girl was a minor. So an offence was registered against Gohil at the Panigate police station.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">Soon things settled and the issue did not crop up till the formation of the squad. When the squad spotted Gohil, he had taken up a job as a peon with a builder.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">"Even we were surprised. Yet, the law had to take its course as Gohil was on the list of 601 absconders. He was arrested and presented in court," said sub-inspector Kalpesh Solanki who heads the squad.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">The list of absconding offenders who landed in the police custody includes 16 accused of several crimes, including rioting and arson during the 2002 communal riots and cheating. Others were involved in petty offences like beating up people or brawls. Another case pertains to one Dhupkaur Shikligar, involved in a petty incident of causing an injury, in the city police station. She had changed her house and had settled at a new place in the city itself with her family. It was only after a tip-off from an informer that the squad reached her new address.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">"She was staying there with her family thinking that nothing would happen," a squad member said. The squad also nabbed six people accused in the 2002 riots. Sushil Kumar Singh, an accused in the Rs 5.9 lakh medical insurance scam, was also arrested and so was Sangeeta Survade who was accused in a fake marksheet and testimonials scam. Also, the squad arrested Atul Dattajirao Gaekwad, who was wanted in the bogus passport and visa scam unearthed by the crime branch.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">Commissioner of police Sudhir Sinha said that often those involved in minor crime were not arrested for want of full address. "These are either in the court with case papers or with the investigating officer. If the latter is transferred, there is no continuity in the process. Also, the officers tend to lose sight of criminals involved in petty offences," Sinha said.</span></div> </div>