Hit-and-run case: Sambia booked for murder, bail plea rejected

The bail plea of Sambia Sohrab, charged with murder in the hit-and-run case which claimed the life of a young air force officer here, was rejected today by a city court which remanded him in police custody for 14 days.

Metropolitan Magistrate of City Sessions Court Mrityunjay Karmakar rejected the bail plea of Sambia, the younger son of former RJD MLA Mohammad Sohrab, and sent him to police custody till January 30.

Sambia has been booked under IPC sections 120(B) (criminal conspiracy), 302 (murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), 212 (harbouring offender) and 427 (mischief causing damage).

Sambia's counsel, pleading for his bail, told the court that the FIR has said the speeding vehicle that mowed down the air force officer was driven by an 'unknown' person and that he had cooperated with Kolkata Police sleuths.

The public prosecutor said the offence of the driver was not only hitting and killing a person but also breaking into a "prohibited place" where around 5000 defence personnel were rehearsing for Republic Day parade.

21-year-old Corporal Abhimanyu Gaud was mowed down by a speeding brand new Audi with Sambia allegedly at the wheels after it broke through gaurd rails on Red Road in the morning of January 13.  

Sambia was arrested from Park Circus even-point crossing in the city last night while he was heading to his in-laws' house, the police said.

He was traced through his mobile phone tower location and it was through it that the police said they had found that he was present at Red Road on the fateful day.

He was grilled at length till 5 AM at the chamber of Kolkata Police Joint Commissioner (Crime) Debasish Boral at the force's headquarter at Lalbazar.

During his interrogation, Sambia had denied that he was behind the wheels of the Audi, a Kolkata Police official said.

Sambia was also asked about the number of persons present with him during the incident, to which he had no "clear" answer, the official said.

The police, he said, had information that the earlier night Sambia along with his friends had a booze party at the Dadhi Ghat in the Port area and was allegedly drunk when he was at the wheels.

Sambia was allegedly trying to escape to neighbouring states and was constantly changing his hiding places since the accident, he added.