Head constable Virendrasinh Padheria a habitual offender, cops tell court

AHMEDABAD: A magisterial court on Friday sent head constable Virendrasinh Padheria to 10-day police remand in connection with the killing of a second-year Mica student, Priyanshu Jain, on November 10. The prosecution submitted that Padheria is a habitual offender and cited a criminal case registered against him in 2017.

Padheria, who was arrested by the crime branch from Punjab, was brought to Ahmedabad and produced before a magistrate at a rural court. The investigator sought 14-day custodial interrogation of Padheria, arguing that he is a habitual offender.

The remand application mentioned the 2017 FIR registered against him with Bavla police, accusing him of cheating, criminal conspiracy and violation of various sections of the Information Technology Act.

It was submitted that because Padheria had worked with the police department for 15 years, he had knowledge of departmental procedures and did not cooperate with the investigation.

The prosecutor submitted that the murder weapon and the clothes he was wearing during the crime need to be recovered. Padheria has admitted to possessing one knife, but he is silent about the other, and therefore custodial interrogation is required, the court was told. They also aim to trace his movements by collecting CCTV footage and identify anyone who helped him while he was on the run.

Opposing the remand plea, Padheria's counsel argued that the accused was in police custody for two days and the investigators had enough time to interrogate him. The crime took place in a fit of rage and was not a pre-planned act. However, the prosecutor clarified that Padheria had been in custody for only 24 hours after his arrest as he was handed over to Bhopal police by the crime branch on Thursday.