Third arrest in Kolkata hit-and-run

The Kolkata Police after being accused of complacency in apprehending the driver of the Audi SUV car that killed air force officer Corporal Abhimanyu Gaud on January 13,managed to apprehend most of the key players within 48 hours.

The third arrest in the case was made on Tuesday morning with police picking up Johnny, another witness in the hit-and-run case.

Johnny, arrested from Kolkata on Tuesday early morning, was produced at a city court later in the day, along with Shahnawaz Khan alias Sanu. The latter was arrested from Delhi on Sunday and brought to the city on a two days’ transit remand. Both Johnny and Sanu will be interrogated individually to reconstruct the chain of events. They will also be questioned face-to-face with Taushif Sohrab alias Sambia, prime accused in the case.

Johnny has posted a video on YouTube stating his side of the story. “Johnny was arrested in the early hours of Tuesday from the city. Both Johnny and Sanu were presented before a court where we’re are seeking their custody,” Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Debasish Boral told reporters.

Sambia, younger son of Trinamool leader Mohammad Sohrab, is accused of breaking through police barricades and hitting the 21-year-old air force officer before abandoning his car and fleeing the scene.

Sources said, Sanu and Johnny have both corroborated Sambia’s statement before the police that he left his friends in a huff after an argument with them in his SUV on the morning of January 13.

Sanu claimed in an earlier questioning that he and Johnny followed Sambia in another car, with Johnny on the driver’s seat, but turned away from Red Road after noticing the barricades.

Johnny stated in his video that their car was stopped by the police from entering Red Road, which was closed to civilian traffic for Republic Day parade rehearsals. “It was only in the morning we found out all this has happened. We also came to know the police are looking for us,” he said in the video.

While Sambia, charged with murder and criminal conspiracy, was arrested from Kolkata on Saturday night, a manhunt is still on for his father, Sohrab, and elder brother Ambia.