The Mumbai Police Crime Branch on Friday arrested a man for setting a Dalit man on fire in Gujarat last month. The victim, after spending seven days in hospital, succumbed to his injuries on Thursday, leading to widespread outrage in the region.
Police officers said that on February 23, Bharat Gohil (26) was accosted, doused in petrol and set on fire along with his car by two unidentified persons, allegedly at the behest of Devayat Jotwa (35). Gohil died in Rajkot Civil Hospital, and his family refused to accept his body till the accused were arrested.
Senior Crime Branch officers said that Mr. Jotwa, who had fled Gujarat following the incident, was traced to Mumbai earlier this week. “The Prabhaspatan police in Gujarat informed us on Thursday that Mr. Jotwa was in Mumbai, and they were sending personnel to arrest him. We deployed our own personnel to assist them,” a Crime Branch officer said.
The joint team made inquiries with hotels and lodges in the western suburbs, and learned late on Thursday that Mr. Jotwa had checked out of a hotel in Andheri just hours ago. The police sent out a wireless alert and circulated Mr. Jotwa’s picture, which he had submitted to the hotel, among officials of various agencies via WhatsApp.
“We tracked the phone number he had provided to the hotel, and chased him to Khaniwade toll naka in Virar, where he was arrested early on Friday. He was handed over to the Gujarat police,” the officer said.
