Ashish Pandey, main accused in 2002 Gulberg massacre arrested

Ahmedabad, Jan 11: An accused in the 2002 Gulberg Society massacre case, absconding for almost 16 years, was arrested in the city on Wednesday, police said.

Ashish Pandey, one of the five absconding accused in the case, was arrested from Aslali locality by Crime Branch sleuths, a police official said.

A mob had attacked Gulberg Society, a pre-dominantly Muslim colony in Ahmedabad, on February 28, 2002, killing 69 persons including former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri. It was one of the worst incidents of violence during the post-Godhra riots.

"Pandey was absconding ever since he was named as an accused in the FIR lodged in 2002 after the incident. He lived in Naroda locality with his family, but had fled to evade arrest and thereafter lived in different cities including Haridwar and Vapi and worked in the transport business," said the official.