The CID crime branch’s handling of the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case has come under a cloud with allegations surfacing that investigators helped six police officials including Deputy SP Narendra Amin and key witness Nathusinh Jadeja in going underground.
   According to a top Gujarat police official who retired recently, it is common sense that an eye should be kept on suspects and key witnesses. This former official, who preferred not to be named, claimed that the CID is guilty of not performing this basic duty. 
   The Ahmedabad Metropolitan Court had issued warrants against six police officials including Narendra Amin and three police officials from Rajasthan. While the three officials from Rajasthan had sought anticipatory bail which was later rejected, the other three officials were in Ahmedabad and in regular touch with the CID.
   But Amin, who was under a cloud of suspicion in the Sohrabuddin case right from the beginning, went underground on Tuesday last when the CID crime team went to arrest him at his residence.
   Police sources believe that Deputy SP G B Padheria, investigating officer in the CID IG Geetha Johri’s team had leaked the information of Amin’s impending arrest. The CID crime has issued a lookout notice for Amin and others but a week after the notice they are yet to be traced.
   It may be noted ATS driver Nathusinh Jadeja’s confession had thrown light on Amin’s involvement. Johri had issued a summons for Amin on May 19 and interrogated him on May 22 for more than 12 hours.
   It is believed that Padheria, under instructions from top police officials, had refused to arrest Amin despite Johri’s directions. 
   A top police official claimed that the former investigating officer Rajneesh Rai was smarter when he invited the three IPS officers, D G Vanzara, Rajkumar Pandiyan and Dinesh M N, for a cup of tea and then arrested them without alerting his bosses.
   Rai had even sought a narco-analysis test without informing the public prosecutor, according to sources.
   It is being rumoured that Amin who has several relatives in the US may attempt to flee the country for good and orders have been issued to airport authorities to ensure that he does not do that.
   Common sense, according to a top official, says that passports of all the absconding should be impounded but it is not clear whether that has been done.
   Before the CID crime branch finally decided to arrest Amin, he had been briefing reporters regularly at his bungalow pleading his innocence in his case. Amin had claimed that there was no evidence against him. He had also accused Rai of wrongly implicating him in the case.
   Amin had claimed that he is a victim of a conflict between Gujarati and non-Gujarati IPS officials. He had claimed that non-Gujarati IPS officials are trying to “fix” popular Gujarati IPS officials.
   It is believed that Johri blamed top officials for trying to help the three arrested IPS officials and even threatened to quit the case.