Son of Porbandar ‘godmother’ acquitted of murder

Son of Porbandar ‘godmother’ acquitted of murder

Son of Porbandar’s infamous ‘Godmother’, Karan Jadeja has been acquitted for the sensational murder of his sister-in-law Rekhaben in 2006.

‘Godmother’ Santokhben Jadeja, whose mafia gang had virtually ruled Porbandar for more than a decade, had died earlier this year.

Santokhben had earned the sobriquet ‘Godmother’ after she took command of her husband Sarman Munja’s gang following his 1986 murder in gang war over control over illegal quarry mining ‘rights’.

Having vowed to avenge her husband’s murder, the Porbandar ‘Godmother’ took up active role in the elimination of all his rivals one by one.

Such was the terror of the ‘Godmother’ in the 1990s that national political parties could not field their candidates against her when she contested and won the assembly election from Kutiyana in Porbandar district.

A local court in Rajkot on Wednesday acquitted Karan for the murder of Rekhaben due to lack of evidence.

Rekhaben — daughter-in-law of Porbandar’s mafia queen Santokhben Jadeja — was shot dead at her residence in Rajkot’s Kalavad Road on May 20, 2006, as part of the Porbandar family’s extended gang war.

Karan was arrested on August 12 same year from Dharavi in Mumbai and the murder weapon too was recovered from him.

Rajkot Sessions Judge MK Mehta acquitted Karan ude to benefit of doubt as his presence on the spot could not be proved, said Additional Public Prosecutor Dhimant Joshi.

Rekhaben’s husband Kandhal, who was in jail at the time of her murder, was also acquitted last year for the killing of Porbandar BJP leader Keshubhai Odedara in March 2005.

With the acquittal of Karan for the murder of his sister-in-law, the Godmother’s family would now be ‘taint-free’ as no fresh case is pending against any one.