Pune, Feb 3 (PTI) – In a significant development, the Pune rural police have apprehended a 55-year-old life convict from the 2002 Godhra train carnage case on theft charges. The accused, identified as Salim Jarda, was one of the 31 individuals sentenced to life imprisonment for allegedly setting the S-6 coach of the Sabarmati Express ablaze in Godhra on February 27, 2002, resulting in the death of 59 people.
According to the police, Jarda had stepped out of a Gujarat prison on September 17, 2024, on a seven-day parole but never returned, choosing instead to go absconding. On January 22, he was arrested alongside members of his gang for allegedly committing multiple thefts across Pune’s rural areas.
According to the police, Jarda had stepped out of a Gujarat prison on September 17, 2024, on a seven-day parole but never returned, choosing instead to go absconding. On January 22, he was arrested alongside members of his gang for allegedly committing multiple thefts across Pune’s rural areas.
Authorities revealed that Jarda and his associates would travel from Godhra in Gujarat to Pune district for these thefts. The breakthrough came when the police began piecing together information that linked the arrested suspect to the high-profile Godhra incident.“During the investigation, we discovered Jarda’s involvement in the Godhra train carnage. Three theft cases against him have come to light so far,” said Inspector Dinesh Tayde of the Alephata police station.
