35-yr-old murder suspect snatched firearm, shot dead in encounter: Gujarat cops
Virendra Yadav, Gandhinagar range IG, said the incident took place when the local crime branch team had taken the suspect to an area near Narmada Canal
Vipul Parmar, the 35-year-old who was arrested for killing a 25-year-old man in Gandhinagar on September 20, was shot dead after he allegedly snatched a policeman’s firearm and opened fire at the police team on Wednesday evening, police said.
Virendra Yadav, Gandhinagar range inspector general, said the incident took place at about 4:45pm when the local crime branch team had taken the suspect to an area near Narmada Canal in Adalaj village for crime scene reconstruction.
Yadav said the suspect suddenly snatched police sub inspector Patadiya’s service weapon and opened fire. Constable Rajendra Singh sustained injuries in the attack. “The accused then turned his weapon on LCB (local crime branch) vehicles and personnel, forcing our officers to retaliate in self-defence, resulting in the accused’s death,” he said.
Yadav added that the injured constable was being treated at Apollo Hospital, where he had undergone a surgery.
Parmar, who has a string of heinous criminal cases registered against him, had robbed and killed 25-year-old Vaibhav Shankar Manwani when he was celebrating his birthday with a female companion in a parked car near the canal around 1:15 am on September 20.
Parmar stabbed Manwani to death and attacked his friend with a knife, and robbed them of two IPhones, their watches and ₹500 cash. The woman also sustained knife wounds in the attack but survived.
Parmar was arrested on September 23 when a tip led Ahmedabad crime branch inspector Madhuri S. Gohel’s squad to Manda Dungar in Rajkot. After a brief chase and a scuffle, they apprehended Parmar.
During the arrest, police recovered the murder weapon — a knife — along with stolen items. Parmar was subsequently handed over to the Gandhinagar police, which had registered a case against him.
Police said Parmar, a resident of Bansini Chali in Ahmedabad with roots in Kaladara village, had multiple criminal cases registered against him since 2017. His rap sheet included 11 cases of murder, robbery, and attempted murder.
According to police reports, Parmar was also linked to a murder and two robberies near the Narmada Canal under Adalaj police station in 2021.
