Four men have been arrested for allegedly replacing a licensed firearm used in a fatal shooting during a hunting trip in Kutch with an illegal country-made gun in an attempt to mislead police and conceal evidence, the West Kutch police said on Friday.

Six other accused are yet to be arrested. The incident occurred in the Payarka area of Bhuj taluka on the night of November 3, when Kadar Hasam Jat sustained a gunshot injury to his head and died.

His death was reported as an accidental death at Mankuva police station on November 4. However, as the circumstances appeared suspicious, the Special Operations Group (SOG) and Local Crime Branch (LCB) were assigned to investigate.

According to the police, Kadar had gone hunting with Isha Husein Jat, Altaf Ramju Jat and Juma alias Rashid Umar Jat, all from Bhuj taluka. Isha had brought a gun and cartridges for hunting.

During the trip, his finger allegedly touched the trigger accidentally, causing the weapon to fire. The bullet struck Kadar, who was standing in front of him, in the head, causing fatal injuries.

The three men took Kadar to a farm belonging to a person identified as Navinbhai. Isha then informed Adam Ibhla Jat, his paternal aunt’s son, who arrived at the farm and confirmed that Kadar had died.

Altaf and Juma subsequently left the spot, police said. During the investigation, SOG Assistant Sub-Inspectors Narendra Singh Jhala and Raghuvir Singh Jadeja received information about the circumstances of the shooting.

Police first questioned Altaf and Juma, who allegedly disclosed details of the hunting trip. Further questioning of Isha led investigators to uncover an alleged conspiracy to conceal the use of the licensed firearm.

Police said Isha had obtained a licensed gun belonging to Juma Musa Jat through Adam for the hunting trip. After Kadar’s death, Isha and Adam allegedly contacted seven other men and called them to the farm.

The group allegedly decided to hide Juma Musa Jat’s licensed firearm to prevent its seizure and the cancellation of its licence.

Juma Musa Jat then contacted his friend Jakab Daud Jat, a resident of Tankanasar in Bhuj taluka, and obtained an illegal country-made gun from him.

The licensed firearm was allegedly removed and concealed, while the country-made gun was placed at the location to be presented as the weapon used in the incident if a police case was registered.

“The accused planned to create false evidence and provide misleading information to the investigating officer to divert the investigation,” police said.

The four arrested accused have been identified as Isha Husein Jat, a resident of Pirwali; Adam Ibhla Jat of Kodki; Juma Musa Jat, currently residing in Kodki and originally from Pirwali; and Jakab Daud Jat of Tankanasar.

The six accused yet to be arrested are Umar Jakab Jat of Sumrasar (Jat), Haji Sidhik Mamad Jat of Pirwali, Juma Kasam Jat of Navavas in Pirwali, Sidhik Daud Jat of Sumrasar (Jat), Ibrahim Hajisidhik Jat of Navavas in Pirwali, and Imran Daud Jat of Maina Pad. All locations are in Bhuj taluka.

The police seized six mobile phones, one firearm allegedly used in the incident and 17 cartridges. The four arrested accused and the seized articles were handed over to Mankuva police station for further legal action.

Police said Jakab Daud Jat has three previous cases registered against him at Mankuva police station.

These include a 2022 case under the Arms Act and Gujarat Police Act, another 2022 case under Sections 323, 325 and 506(2) of the Indian Penal Code, and a 2023 case under Sections 114, 294(b), 323, 324 and 506(2) of the IPC, along with Section 135 of the Gujarat Police Act.

Railway security agencies have arrested a youth from Mumbai for allegedly being involved in the black marketing of railway tickets following a raid at a dharamshala in Madhuban, Giridih district of Jharkhand. A total of 31 train tickets worth Rs 1.74 lakh were recovered from his possession.

According to officials, 117 passengers were scheduled to travel on the recovered tickets. During interrogation, the accused allegedly admitted to charging an additional Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 per ticket in the name of arranging tickets for needy passengers.

Acting on a tip-off, a joint team of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Dhanbad, and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) Post, Gomo, along with personnel from the local Madhuban police station, conducted a raid at Siddhayatan Charitable Spiritual Home Dharamshala on Thursday.

During the operation, the team searched room number 226 of the dharamshala and allegedly uncovered the ticket black marketing racket.

The accused was identified as 33-year-old Jaswant Rai, a resident of Malad West in Mumbai, Maharashtra. He was apprehended from the spot.

During the search, the team recovered 31 railway tickets purchased from the Madhuban railway counter over the past three days. The total value of the tickets was estimated at Rs 1,74,630.

Apart from the tickets, the officials also seized two used touchscreen mobile phones and Rs 6,900 in cash from the accused.

Following the operation, a case was registered at the Railway Protection Force Post, Gomo, on November 12, under Case No. 789/26. The accused has been booked under Section 143 of the Railways Act for his alleged involvement in the illegal sale of railway tickets.

Railway security agencies are now investigating the matter to establish the extent of the alleged racket and identify other people who may be involved in the black marketing of railway tickets.

Serious questions have once again been raised over the security arrangements and administrative functioning of Birsa Munda Central Jail in Hotwar, Ranchi, following allegations that a 20-year-old undertrial prisoner was drugged and subjected to gang-rape on three separate occasions inside the prison.

An FIR naming 19 people, including the jail superintendent, the medical officer of the jail hospital, a ward in-charge and police personnel, was registered at Khelgaon police station late on Wednesday evening in connection with the alleged incident. Following the emergence of the case, the police administration has handed over the investigation to the Ranchi City SP for a thorough probe.

According to information received from police sources and the FIR, the victim belongs to the MECON Colony area near Kathal More under the Ratu police station limits. He was lodged in Hotwar jail as an undertrial prisoner in a criminal case. He was released from prison on June 12 after being acquitted by a Ranchi court.

The victim is reportedly suffering from severe psychological trauma following the alleged inhuman treatment and sexual assault inside the prison. Considering his fragile mental condition, he is currently undergoing treatment at the Central Institute of Psychiatry in Kanke, Ranchi.

After remaining in deep shock for a considerable period, the victim recently narrated his ordeal inside the jail to his family members. His family subsequently approached the police and lodged a complaint.

According to the written complaint submitted at Khelgaon police station, a group of inmates allegedly carried out the assaults on three separate occasions, coinciding with the nights of three major festivals — Maha Shivratri, Ram Navami and Sarhul.

The accused allegedly forced the 20-year-old to consume an intoxicating substance, made him wear women’s clothing, including a sari, and then sexually assaulted him one after another. The complaint further alleges that the victim suffered serious bleeding from his private parts and sustained severe physical and psychological injuries due to the assaults and physical violence.

The 19 accused have been named in two categories in the FIR. The first includes several inmates from Wards 14 and 15, along with a canteen worker. Those named include Pintu, Arvind Gupta, Sahil Ansari, Sahil Shah, Rabisar Lohra, Pawan (canteen worker), Mantu, Dhaneshwar Badhai, Shiv Oraon, Ballu, Rehan Golu, Golu Sao and Pogo.

The second category includes the jail superintendent, ward in-charge, medical officer of the jail hospital and police personnel identified as Singh and Santosh Oraon. They have been accused of gross negligence in discharging their official duties, shielding the perpetrators and attempting to suppress the incident.

The complaint also alleges that when the victim submitted a written complaint to the ward in-charge, seeking help, he was abused instead, and his complaint letter was torn up and thrown away.

Furthermore, when the victim approached the jail hospital after suffering bleeding injuries, the medical officer allegedly misbehaved with him and refused to provide treatment.

The complaint also alleges that no mandatory medical examination was conducted before his release on June 12, in violation of prescribed rules and jail procedures, allegedly to conceal the incident.

The police are investigating the allegations.