Ahmedabad: The body of city-based builder Himmatbhai Rudani was found in the trunk of a Mercedes car parked under the Viratnagar bridge. Himmatbhai was originally from Dhari and living in Ahmedabad for many years with his family.

According to police, local residents alerted after noticing a foul smell from the parked vehicle. A team from Odhav police station reached the spot and, upon opening the car’s trunk, found Rudani’s body.

Preliminary investigation suggests that Rudani died from multiple stab wounds inflicted with a sharp weapon, possibly knife. His body has been sent for post-mortem examination.

Police officials said Rudani was last seen by his family when he left for a construction site, passing through the Ring Road area. Investigators are currently scanning CCTV footage from nearby areas and checking his call records to trace his movements and possible suspects.

Odhav police have registered a case filed by victim’s son and further investigation is underway. Meanwhile, police sources say, three persons are nabbed from Rajasthan’s Sirohi in this case. They include Himanshu alias Rahul Rathod, Pappu Meghwal and one juvenile boy. Police said Himanshu alias Rahul was given contract to kill the builder for Rs. 50,000 about a year ago by Mansukh Lakhani. Himmatbhai was murdered in the basement of Sardar Dham in Nikol area of city and his dead body was placed in trunk of the car. Lakhani who gave contract killing order to kill Himmatbhai was business partner of Himmatbhai.

Details of Investigation

Ahmedabad police successfully solved the high-profile murder of builder Himmat Rudani within 24 hours, using coordinated teamwork, CCTV surveillance, and mobile tracking.

Immediately after Rudani’s body was found in the trunk of his Mercedes, police teams led by DCP Jitendra Agarwal and supervised by Additional CP Jaipal Rathore launched a multi-pronged investigation. One team worked on reverse CCTV tracing, following the accused’s movements before the crime, while another focused on forward CCTV tracking to determine their escape route. A third team monitored Rudani’s mobile location history to piece together his movements throughout the day.

The investigation quickly yielded results. CCTV cameras captured three men abandoning Rudani’s car and later leaving on a motorbike. Further tracking revealed footage of the accused boarding a bus in Sirohi, Rajasthan. With support from Banaskantha police, a team was dispatched to apprehend them before they could escape further.

Simultaneously, inquiries confirmed that Rudani had visited Sardar Dham in Nikol for a meeting earlier in the day, a detail that aligned with CCTV and location evidence. By late night, the accused were in custody, and police began interrogating them during transit to Ahmedabad.

The suspects soon confessed. Himanshu alias Rahul, a security guard employed by Rudani’s business partner, revealed that the murder was carried out at the behest of builder Mansukh Lakhani, who was also involved in an ₹80-crore mall construction project with the victim. Police learned that tensions had arisen after Lakhani asked Rudani to withdraw from the project for a fixed amount, which Rudani refused, insisting on his rightful share based on the project’s completion value.

According to the confession, Lakhani offered between ₹1.25 crore and ₹1.5 crore to have Rudani eliminated, paying an advance of ₹50,000. Himanshu, along with associates Pappu Meghwal and a minor, ambushed Rudani in the basement parking of Sardar Dham after his meeting. They stabbed him to death, placed his body in his car’s trunk, and drove the vehicle around Nikol for hours before abandoning it under Viratnagar bridge and fleeing on a parked bike.

Using CCTV trail, vehicle registration details, and swift inter-district coordination, the police tracked down and arrested the accused within hours. The main conspirator, builder Mansukh Lakhani, was also taken into custody and is being interrogated.

The case demonstrates how systematic CCTV analysis, mobile tracking, and coordinated fieldwork enabled Ahmedabad police to secure a breakthrough in record time.
DeshGujarat