Murder convict targets cop who caught him twice, gets jail “till his last breath” in Gujarat

Ahmedabad: A murder convict who twice escaped parole and was twice hauled back to prison by the same policeman ultimately made the officer his target. A Gandhinagar court has now sentenced Pravin alias Bholo Dhaval to “imprisonment till his last breath” for attempting to kill that officer in a revenge attack. The court said the accused was “dangerous to the community...and deserves nothing less than the harshest punishment”.

The court also sentenced Dhaval’s two accomplices, Harshas Rathod and Ajaysinh Chavda, to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment each. In addition, all three convicts were fined Rs 2 lakh each.

While awarding the sentence, additional sessions judge at Kalol Brijeshkumari Rajput quoted Shloka 20 from Adhyay 7 of the “Manusmriti”: “If the king does not tirelessly inflict punishment on those who deserve it, the strong would roast the weak like fish on a skewer.”

The case stems from an attack on Rajvirsinh Yadav, a police officer attached to the Local Crime Branch, who had previously arrested Dhaval on two occasions after he absconded while out on parole.

According to case details, Dhaval had been convicted in a murder case registered under the Sardarnagar police jurisdiction and had violated parole conditions twice: first in March 2020 and again in Jan 2024. On both the occasions, Yadav nabbed him and sent him back to prison.

According to the prosecution, the repeated arrests fuelled resentment against Yadav. In April 2024, Dhaval allegedly joined hands with Rathod and Chavda to execute a revenge attack. The trio allegedly intercepted Yadav near Hotel Sindbad in Kalol and assaulted him with knives, inflicting multiple stab wounds and leaving him grievously injured, said additional public prosecutor J H Joshi.

The trio was arrested and brought to trial.

While awarding the sentence to the accused, the court stated, “These three accused are hardened criminals, and they brazenly mocked the law by attacking a police officer with deadly weapons in a place bustling with people and vehicles. Such individuals, who have no fear of the law, have no place in a healthy society. They are dangerous to the community and deserve nothing less than the harshest punishment until their last breath.”