Mumbai: A 36-year-old shooter, wanted by
Gujarat Police for the murder of RTI activist Amit Jethwa in
Ahmedabad in July, was on Tuesday arrested here for possessing
illegal firearms, police said.
Acting on a tip off, a trap was laid near a bus stop at
suburban Kurla where Shailesh Pandya, hailing from Patan in
Gujarat, arrived, police said.
He was taken into custody and "on frisking him, a
country-made pistol, a revolver and seven cartridges were
found in a bag with him. He was arrested under the Arms Act,"
Joint Police Commissioner (Crime) Himanshu Roy told PTI.
"Pandya is the one who fired at the RTI activist Amit
Jethwa outside the Gujarat High Court on July 20," he said. He
would be later handed over to the Gujarat Police, Roy added.
Pratap alias Shiva Solanki, nephew of BJP MP from
Junagadh Dinu Solanki, and a police constable, Bahadursinh
Vadher, were among the five accused arrested by the Gujarat
Police so far in connection with the murder.
Both conspired to eliminate Jethwa as his activism was
damaging their mining business, police said.
Jethwa was killed a few days after he filed a public
interest litigation (PIL) against illegal mining in the
protected Gir sanctuary in Junagadh district.
Pandya, a former teacher, also faces an attempt to
murder case in Gujarat, police added.
-PTI
