Ahmedabad: Three men suffered injuries when a parcel delivered to the house of a Gujarat high court lawyer’s clerk in the Sabarmati area on Saturday morning exploded at the time of delivery. Police said a personal dispute is the reason behind the blast at the house of Baldev Sukhadia in the Shivam Row House Society on the IOC Road.
He worked with Hetal Barot, the wife of the prime suspect, Rupen Barot, also a resident of Sabarmati.
Additional commissioner of police, Sector-1, Neeraj Badgujar, said Gaurav Gadhavi, the person who delivered the parcel, was also injured in the blast and was arrested. “As Gadhavi wanted to hand over the parcel to Sukhadia, the receiver noticed smoke coming out of the packet. Soon, the parcel exploded, leaving Gadhavi, Sukhadia and his cousin, Kirit Sukhadia, with injuries,” Badgujar said.
DCP, Zone-2, Bharat Rathod, said that the incident took place between 10.30am and 10.45am on Saturday. “Gadhavi said that his friend Rohan told him to deliver the parcel that he had received from Rupen Barot,” said Rathod.
In his complaint with Sabarmati police, Baldev Sukhadia, 56, said that a man last night came to his house to deliver a parcel, but as Sukhadia was not present, the delivery boy returned.
“My wife informed me about this, and today, around 10:45am, a delivery boy came to my house and told me he had a parcel for me. Since I hadn’t ordered anything, I was suspicious and didn’t accept the parcel. The delivery boy said that someone named Suresh had sent the parcel, but as I didn’t know any Suresh, I asked for his and Suresh’s phone numbers so I could verify. He said his phone was with someone in a rickshaw outside. While we were talking, smoke started coming out of the bag,” said Baldev Sukhadia in the FIR.
Sukhadia told him to step back and talk, and at that moment, the bag exploded. “That blast blinded both me and my wife temporarily. After a while, I saw the man still standing there, and I caught him. He was injured in the hands due to the blast, and my cousin, Kirit, who was outside his house, also suffered injuries on his face. I received a minor injury on my left leg,” said Baldev Sukhadia.
People soon gathered on the spot. “Pieces of the bag, white clay fragments, razor blade pieces, cardboard pieces, and wires from a blue battery were found at the place,” said a police official.
Sukhadia further said in the FIR, “I have been working for Hetal, an advocate at the Gujarat high court, for six years. Hetal married Rupen Barot, who lives in Godavari Apartments in D-Cabin, about 12 years ago. Rupen suspects an extramarital relationship between Hetal and me, leading to frequent arguments with her and threats to me over the phone.”
Since March 2024, Hetal has been living with her father at Padmaprabhu Society on the IOC Road, Chandkheda, and has filed for divorce against her husband in a family court. This has made Rupen angry with Baldev Sukhadia, stated the FIR.
Sabarmati police registered a case of attempt to murder, causing grievous hurt, criminal conspiracy, and criminal intimidation under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita along with charges of the explosives act against Rupen and Gadhavi.
Explosives, weapons seized from accused’s home
After the blast took place, a team from the city crime branch searched the prime accused, Rupen Barot’s house in Godavari Apartments, D Cabin locality. They found weapons, including explosive materials, blades, nails, two country-made pistols, and an ignition switch for the blast. A senior police officer said that one country-made pistol was in the making, and cops found a small manufacturing unit in Barot’s house. Sources also said that Barot was there at the time of the incident, and he was sitting in an autorickshaw from where he might have ignited the remotely operated bomb. A team of forensic experts was also called to Barot’s house.
A chilling reminder of Sabarkantha speaker blast
The parcel blast in Sabarmati gave a chilling reminder of a similar blast that took place in Sabarkantha in May this year. In that case, a man named Jayanti Vanzara, 34, also a photographer and a farm labourer from Karunda village in Sabarkantha’s Khedbrahma taluka, killed 32-year-old Jitendra Vanzara and his 12-year-old daughter Bhumika over suspicion that Jitendra was having an affair with his wife. In that case, an autorickshaw driver dropped a parcel at Jitendra’s house, which contained a bluetooth speaker. When Jitendra plugged it into an electrical socket for charging, it led to a massive blast.
Cops didn’t act on complainant’s earlier plea?
As Rupen Barot was constantly threatening Baldev Sukhadia following his separation from his wife, for which Barot blamed Sukhadia, Sukhadia submitted an application before Sabarmati police seeking legal action against Barot. Despite knowing Barot’s criminal background, as he was also detained under PASA (Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Act) for bootlegging in 2019, no action was taken on Sukhadia’s application. Sources in the city police said that this inaction gave ample time to Barot to prepare a parcel bomb to claim Sukhadia’s life. On Nov 16, a vegetable trader in Nehrunagar, Badaji Marwadi was shot dead by two motorcycle-borne men. It turned out to be a case of contract killing by Badaji Marwadi’s relatives. In that case, Badaji and his son Ratanlal had approached the police in Oct seeking action against their relatives following an attempt on Badaji’s life. The police did not act in the case, which proved fatal for Badaji.
He worked with Hetal Barot, the wife of the prime suspect, Rupen Barot, also a resident of Sabarmati.
Additional commissioner of police, Sector-1, Neeraj Badgujar, said Gaurav Gadhavi, the person who delivered the parcel, was also injured in the blast and was arrested. “As Gadhavi wanted to hand over the parcel to Sukhadia, the receiver noticed smoke coming out of the packet. Soon, the parcel exploded, leaving Gadhavi, Sukhadia and his cousin, Kirit Sukhadia, with injuries,” Badgujar said.
DCP, Zone-2, Bharat Rathod, said that the incident took place between 10.30am and 10.45am on Saturday. “Gadhavi said that his friend Rohan told him to deliver the parcel that he had received from Rupen Barot,” said Rathod.
In his complaint with Sabarmati police, Baldev Sukhadia, 56, said that a man last night came to his house to deliver a parcel, but as Sukhadia was not present, the delivery boy returned.
“My wife informed me about this, and today, around 10:45am, a delivery boy came to my house and told me he had a parcel for me. Since I hadn’t ordered anything, I was suspicious and didn’t accept the parcel. The delivery boy said that someone named Suresh had sent the parcel, but as I didn’t know any Suresh, I asked for his and Suresh’s phone numbers so I could verify. He said his phone was with someone in a rickshaw outside. While we were talking, smoke started coming out of the bag,” said Baldev Sukhadia in the FIR.
Sukhadia told him to step back and talk, and at that moment, the bag exploded. “That blast blinded both me and my wife temporarily. After a while, I saw the man still standing there, and I caught him. He was injured in the hands due to the blast, and my cousin, Kirit, who was outside his house, also suffered injuries on his face. I received a minor injury on my left leg,” said Baldev Sukhadia.
People soon gathered on the spot. “Pieces of the bag, white clay fragments, razor blade pieces, cardboard pieces, and wires from a blue battery were found at the place,” said a police official.
Sukhadia further said in the FIR, “I have been working for Hetal, an advocate at the Gujarat high court, for six years. Hetal married Rupen Barot, who lives in Godavari Apartments in D-Cabin, about 12 years ago. Rupen suspects an extramarital relationship between Hetal and me, leading to frequent arguments with her and threats to me over the phone.”
Since March 2024, Hetal has been living with her father at Padmaprabhu Society on the IOC Road, Chandkheda, and has filed for divorce against her husband in a family court. This has made Rupen angry with Baldev Sukhadia, stated the FIR.
Sabarmati police registered a case of attempt to murder, causing grievous hurt, criminal conspiracy, and criminal intimidation under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita along with charges of the explosives act against Rupen and Gadhavi.
Explosives, weapons seized from accused’s home
After the blast took place, a team from the city crime branch searched the prime accused, Rupen Barot’s house in Godavari Apartments, D Cabin locality. They found weapons, including explosive materials, blades, nails, two country-made pistols, and an ignition switch for the blast. A senior police officer said that one country-made pistol was in the making, and cops found a small manufacturing unit in Barot’s house. Sources also said that Barot was there at the time of the incident, and he was sitting in an autorickshaw from where he might have ignited the remotely operated bomb. A team of forensic experts was also called to Barot’s house.
A chilling reminder of Sabarkantha speaker blast
The parcel blast in Sabarmati gave a chilling reminder of a similar blast that took place in Sabarkantha in May this year. In that case, a man named Jayanti Vanzara, 34, also a photographer and a farm labourer from Karunda village in Sabarkantha’s Khedbrahma taluka, killed 32-year-old Jitendra Vanzara and his 12-year-old daughter Bhumika over suspicion that Jitendra was having an affair with his wife. In that case, an autorickshaw driver dropped a parcel at Jitendra’s house, which contained a bluetooth speaker. When Jitendra plugged it into an electrical socket for charging, it led to a massive blast.
Cops didn’t act on complainant’s earlier plea?
As Rupen Barot was constantly threatening Baldev Sukhadia following his separation from his wife, for which Barot blamed Sukhadia, Sukhadia submitted an application before Sabarmati police seeking legal action against Barot. Despite knowing Barot’s criminal background, as he was also detained under PASA (Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Act) for bootlegging in 2019, no action was taken on Sukhadia’s application. Sources in the city police said that this inaction gave ample time to Barot to prepare a parcel bomb to claim Sukhadia’s life. On Nov 16, a vegetable trader in Nehrunagar, Badaji Marwadi was shot dead by two motorcycle-borne men. It turned out to be a case of contract killing by Badaji Marwadi’s relatives. In that case, Badaji and his son Ratanlal had approached the police in Oct seeking action against their relatives following an attempt on Badaji’s life. The police did not act in the case, which proved fatal for Badaji.
