AHMEDABAD: A day after nabbing a 42-year-old witchdoctor and YouTuber from Vejalpur, allegedly for conspiring to murder a Sanand businessman and rob his money, Sarkhej police have found that the man they have caught is a serial killer who had allegedly killed three of a family in Surendranagar in 2023 and one person in the city in 2021 for greed. He would ask victims to bring money for rituals to multiply it and then kill them for it.
Wadhwan native Navalsinh Chavda, who lived in Akshardham Society near Vejalpur police chowky in the city, was caught late on Tuesday night before he could execute his plan of killing of the 29-year-old businessman Abhijeetsinh Rajput, a resident of Param Green Bungalows in Navapura, Sanand. The brother of a victim who happens to know Chavda blew the lid off the devious plan.
Like his previous victims, Chavda had lured Rajput, too for a tantrik ritual that could quadruple his money. Sarkhej police inspector R K Dhulia said that Chavda, who calls himself ‘bhuva’ of a goddess, would target family members, friends and acquaintances and later poison his unsuspecting victims. Rajput was a distant relative whom Chavda had allegedly lured into his trap with the promise of quadrupling his money through a tantrik ritual to be held in Mumatpura. Chavda had planned to poison Rajput, just like he had done with the other four victims, and take his money.
“We have also come to know that in 2023, Chavda had killed three members of a family — Dipesh Patadia, 50, his wife Parul, 50 and their 19-year-old daughter Utsavi and dumped their bodies in the Dudhrej canal. Surendranagar police had in March 2024 registered a case of accidental death believing it to be mass suicide case,” said a senior officer of Ahmedabad city police.
The officer said that this family, too, knew Chavda and that the last call the family had received was from the accused. Surendranagar police had questioned Chavda but later put the case on the backburner.
Another senior officer said that they will reopen the two past cases. Sarkhej police have booked Chavda under Sections 55 (abetment of offence punishable with death or imprisonment for life), 62 (punishment for attempting to commit offences punishable with imprisonment for life or other imprisonment), and 318(1) and (2) (cheating). Chavda has also been booked under the Gujarat Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and other Inhuman, Evil, and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act, 2024. The punishment for committing such an offence is six months to seven years in prison and a fine ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 50,000.
Chavda sent to 7-day remand: A rural court remanded Navalsinh Chavda to seven days in police custody after investigators highlighted the need for further inquiry into the accused’s alleged occult practices and possible involvement in human sacrifices. Sarkhej police recovered incriminating evidence, including ritualistic items and white powder, from his vehicle. Videos of the accused conducting occult practices, allegedly sourced from YouTube, were also presented to the court. In their remand plea, the police stated that they need to reconstruct the crime scene and determine whether Chavda conducted human sacrifices as part of his rituals. They suspect involvement of accomplices. The defence lawyer argued against the remand, stating that the accused was cooperating with the police and the necessary evidence had been recovered. The court deemed the police investigation incomplete and granted the remand.
How a victim’s brother threw the net on Chavda: On Aug 23, 2021, Aslali police found the body of a man apparently killed in a motorcycle accident in Kamod village.
Identifying the deceased as Vivek Gohil, 23, from Nikol, police registered an FIR of death by negligent driving and also filed an FIR against an unknown vehicle driver. Interestingly, the body bore no injury marks and the motorcycle had no signs of damage. A postmortem examination report suggested death by poisoning.
Vivek’s brother, Jigar, suspected the involvement on their close friend Navalsinh Chavda, who had moved to Ahmedabad around seven months ago, police said. Jigar had entered into a partnership with Chavda for a taxi services business. Jigar would ferry passengers during the day, and Chavda during the night.
Police said Chavda had shared his plans to get rich quick with Jigar, elaborating how he would bring Abhijeetsinh Rajput from Sanand to Mumatpura and eliminate him under the guise of a tantrik ritual. Chavda even offered Jigar 25% of the amount he would lay his hands on after the killing, police said. Little did Chavda know that Jigar had recorded the entire plan on his cellphone.
Chavda carried a poisonous powder which he would mix in water to offer to his victims.
It would either cause a fatal heart attack, make the victims lose control of their faculties, or render them unconscious. When Chavda took Rajput to a secluded place in Mumatpura, Jigar went to the police and exposed his plan. A team from Sarkhej police rushed to the spot and apprehended Chavda.
