Odedara murder: Santok, eight others acquitted

RAJKOT: Former Kutiyana MLA and godmother Santok Jadeja and nine others were acquitted in Keshu Nebha Odedara murder case by an additional sessions court in Porbandar on Friday.
Odedara, a BJP councillor of Porbandar, was shot dead on March 1, 2005 at Kadia plot in Porbandar town.
Santok Jadeja, her sons Kandhal Jadeja, Karan Jadeja, Kano Jadeja and Bhojo Jadeja, Jayesh Gadhvi, Umedpuri Nathipur, Raja Jakhara, Ranjit Gadhvi and Jayesh Jadeja were named in the case. Kandhal Jadeja was the main accused in the case. Kano Jadeja, another son of Santok was on the run, and was arrested a few months ago, and his trial will begin soon.
According to police complaint, on March 1, 2005 at about 10 am, Keshu Odedara was standing with his friend at a pan parlour in Porbandar when Kandhal and his brother Kano came in a vehicle. They had a tiff with Odedara over some issue following which Kandhal and Kana reportedly fired at Odedara.
The accused's counsel Grishma Joshi said the sessions court acquitted the nine in the case giving them the benefit of doubt. Except Kandhal Jadeja, other accused including Santok Jadeja were on bail. After Kandhal's arrest in 2005, he was kept in Sabarmati Central Jail in Ahmedabad for a year. Then he was shifted to Rajkot jail in 2006. After a year in the Rajkot jail, he managed to escape from police custody in 2007 when he was under treatment in Shivani Hospital in Rajkot. Later on, Kandhal was arrested by Porbandar Police in July 2009 from Nigadi, a town near Pune.