Police chief Virendrasinh Padheria is a repeat offender, police tell court | India News – Times of India

AHMEDABAD: A magisterial court on Friday sent a head constable Virendrasinh Padheria up to 10 days police arrest in connection with the murder of a second-year MICA student, Priyanshu Jain, on November 10. The prosecutor stated that Padheria is a repeat offender and cited a criminal case registered against him in 2017.
Padheria, who was arrested by the Crime Branch from Punjab, was taken to Ahmedabad and produced before a magistrate of a rural court. The investigator demanded a fourteen-day interrogation of Padheria, arguing that he is a habitual offender.
The remand application mentioned the FIR registered against him with Bavla police in 2017, accusing him of cheating, criminal conspiracy and violation of various sections of the Information Technology Act.
It was alleged that because Padheria had worked in the police force for 15 years, he had knowledge of departmental procedures and did not cooperate with the investigation.
The prosecutor argued that the murder weapon and the clothing he wore during the crime should be recovered. Padheria has admitted to possessing one knife, but remains silent about the other. Therefore, a custodial interrogation is required, the court was told. They also want to track his movements by collecting CCTV footage and identifying anyone who helped him while he was on the run.
Padheria’s counsel opposed the plea for remand stating that the suspect was in police custody for two days and the investigators had enough time to interrogate him. The crime occurred in a fit of anger and was not a pre-planned act. However, the prosecution clarified that Padheria had been in custody for just 24 hours after his arrest when he was handed over to Bhopal police by the crime branch on Thursday.