Ishrat Jahan case: Gujarat policeman PP Pandey goes missing yet again

Ahmedabad: Gujarat Police on Saturday claimed that Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) PP Pandey, an accused in the 2004 Ishrat Jahan encounter case has been missing again. The senior police officer has been evading arrest since being denied bail two weeks ago.

The state DGP has asked all district Superintendents of Police as well as city police commissioners to help the CBI trace Additional DGP (Crime). Pandey was also declared as an absconder by the local court.

A non-bailable warrant was issued against Pandey and the CBI court had also rejected his anticipatory bail plea. He had sought the bail saying a higher court is yet to decide on his plea to quash the FIR against him in the case.

Pandey's plea seeking exemption from daily appearance in the court was also rejected by the court. Even a Special Court had rejected the anticipatory bail application of Pandey who then moved the Gujarat High Court, which refused to give him protection from arrest by the CBI till the hearing of his plea.

Pandey who was declared as an absconder resurfaced before the CBI special court in an ambulance on July 29. He was carried inside the court on a stretcher. On the same day, he had got himself admitted to Chandramani Hospital after he complained of chest pain.

Pandey has not attended office since February. The apex court had earlier restrained the CBI from arresting the officer as decision on his appeal was still pending.

Pandey was chargesheeted by the CBI accusing him of being part of the conspiracy to eliminate Ishrat Jahan and three others. The CBI failed to trace him after Pandey went on a long leave. The agency then approached the court to declare him an absconder.

Pandey was Joint Commissioner of Police when on June 15, 2004 Ishrat Jahan, Javed Shaikh alias Pranesh Pillai, Amjadali Akbarali Rana and Zeeshan Johar were killed in an encounter with the Gujarat Police on the outskirts of Ahmedabad.

A day before the encounter, Pandey, along with suspended IPS officer DG Vanzara and IB officer Rajinder Kumar allegedly planned details of how the killing will take place. As head of the Crime Branch that carried out the operation, Pandey allegedly directly supervised actions of Vanzara and others, and even directed how the first FIR must be filed before the encounter.