Jailed IPS officer spends night at home, DGP orders probe

A Gujarat IPS officer, who was arrested in fake encounter cases, was caught on camera moving around without police escort and spending a night at his house here while being in judicial custody, prompting the state government to order an inquiry into the incident.
Director General of Police Amitabh Pathak said a high level inquiry has been ordered into the incident.
Rajkumar Pandian, who was lodged in a Mumbai jail in Sohrabuddin fake encounter case, was brought here last night by Maharashtra Police in Karnavati Express escorted by Mumbai police for his production before the CBI court in Tulsi Prajapati encounter case.

However, as per a video shot by a local TV channel, after his arrival here around 9:20 pm, Pandian was taken to a government rest house in Fort city area, instead of Sabarmati Central Jail, under police escort.
The footage also shows that immediately after reaching the government rest house, Pandian left the police escort and then drove in a private car to his house in Prahladnagar area, where he spent the night.
As per the video clip, Pandian in the morning today reached the rest house, changing his private car in mid-way, from where he went to the CBI court with police escort.

"We still have to figure out whether it was the responsibility of Mumbai Police or Gujarat Police. But we have ordered an inquiry into the whole matter and Additional DGP (Law and Order) Shivanand Jha has been asked to enquire into it," Pathak told PTI.
As per the CBI charge sheet, Pandian was part of the Gujarat police team, who allegedly abducted Soharabuddin and his wife Kauser Bi from Hyderabad. Sohrabuddin was subsequently killed in an alleged fake encounter in November 2005.
Pandian is also an accused in the fake encounter of Tulsiram Prajapati, who was considered an eyewitness of the killings of Sohrabuddin and Kauser Bi. He was to be produced before the special CBI court with other accused.