Not a murder; Sabarmati Riverfront death turns out to be a suicide

Ahmedabad: In a twist of events, the 24-year-old man found dead on the Sabarmati Riverfront on Tuesday morning, who was initially thought to have been shot, had actually taken his own life. The deceased, Smit Gohil, allegedly killed himself out of fear of being caught in connection with his friend’s murder over a loan dispute, as stated by city crime branch officials who are investigating the case.

Smit Gohil, a resident of Jogni Mata Chawl behind Chandlodia railway station, along with his friend Yash Rathod, a 23-year-old resident of Ishwarkakanagar in Chandlodia, had borrowed Rs 2 lakh from their mutual friend, Ravindra Luhar, who also lived in Chandlodia, approximately six months ago. However, they failed to repay the loan, and Luhar had been demanding the money for the past month while allegedly threatening the duo with severe consequences.

Due to threats and pressure from Luhar, Gohil and Rathod planned to kill him. They acquired a country-made pistol and cartridges from Bhind, Madhya Pradesh. Gohil lured Luhar under the pretext of repaying the loan and drove toward Narmada canal. When Luhar got off from car for relieving himself, Gohil shot and stabbed Luhar and sat his body on fire before fleeing.

The body, with the face still recognizable, was found by a passerby the following morning. Viramgam rural police filed a murder complaint.

They later realised that CCTV footage had captured their presence with Luhar. Fearing arrest, Gohil shared his concerns with Rathod. He took the gun from Rathod and went to the riverfront on Monday evening, reportedly shooting himself in the chest. The pistol, which fell into the river, was recovered on Wednesday.

All this became clear when the police questioned Yash Rathod. The city crime branch has transferred Rathod to Viramgam rural police for the murder of Luhar. The complaint of Gohil’s murder filed with Sabarmati Riverfront (west) police will be changed to a case of accidental death, as stated by the police. DeshGujarat