A top cop of Gujarat police PP Pande is likely to be arrested by the CBI in connection with Mumbra girl Ishrat Jahan and three others fake encounter case. Pande was joint commissioner of Ahmedabad police crime branch which had gunned down four persons including Ishrat, claiming that they were terrorists tasked to kill Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi in June 2004.
"We issued him a summon which he has not complied so his arrest is imminent in the case," a senior official of the CBI told HT.
A 1980 batch IPS officer of Gujarat cadre, Pande is presently posted as the additional DG, CID (crime) Gujarat. Earlier, he was grilled by the probe agency regarding his role in the staged shootout case.
The CBI has held that Ishrat and three others were already in the custody of Gujarat police before they were shot dead in the soutskirts of Ahmedabad in June 2004.
The police had claimed that they were on a fidayin mission to target Chief Minister Narendra Modi. The police had also claimed to have recovered ammunition and also an AK 47 rifle.
However, during the probed which is monitored by the Gujarat high court, it has been revealed that the rifle was planted by the Ahmedabad police team which had killed the four persons.
{{/usCountry}}However, during the probed which is monitored by the Gujarat high court, it has been revealed that the rifle was planted by the Ahmedabad police team which had killed the four persons.
{{/usCountry}}The CBI had earlier arrested Gujarat police SP GL Singhal and five other junior level cops in the case.
When arrested, Pande will be the senior most cop from Gujarat to be arrested in a fake encounter case in the state.