Armed goons attack builder, businessman at jeweller's office in Ahmedabad

In a shocking daylight attack that has raised fresh concerns about law and order in Ahmedabad, a group of seven to eight armed men allegedly stormed into the office of Vraj Jewellers on Science City Road on Tuesday evening and assaulted a known builder with knives.

As per the complainant, Sanjay Soni, the incident occurred around 5 pm when the assailants—allegedly notorious criminal Vikram Rabari and his associates—targeted builder Ketan Patel and businessman Sanjay Bharwad. CCTV footage from the premises reportedly shows five to six men barging into the office before launching the assault.

Soni claimed that when he and his associates attempted to intervene, they too were attacked. During the scuffle, one of Rabari’s associates allegedly struck Bharwad with the back of a knife, while Patel sustained a serious head injury. One of Patel’s associates suffered an ear injury, and two others received minor wounds. In the melee, one of the attackers also hurled a brick at the victims.

Soni further alleged that Rabari, known for his alleged involvement in illegal moneylending rackets, had arrived with his men to threaten and extort money from him. Patel, who is said to be closely associated with the jeweller, resisted the intimidation, prompting the group to attack with knives.

In a serious charge, both Patel and Soni accused the Bodakdev police of refusing to register their First Information Report (FIR). Speaking to reporters, Patel claimed that the investigating officer appeared reluctant to act due to Rabari’s influence.

“They are not registering my complaint because they are afraid of Lukha and his men. Instead, they tried to manipulate the statement,” Patel alleged.

The alleged police inaction triggered a protest outside the Bodakdev police station, where a crowd gathered, demanding immediate registration of the complaint and the arrest of the accused.

However, senior police officials denied that the FIR was refused. Speaking to Gujarat Samachar Digital, Bodakdev police said preliminary inquiries suggested that Soni and Rabari had been in business for the past six years and that some payments were overdue from Soni’s side. Rabari had allegedly visited the office to discuss the matter, with Patel mediating between the two. “An argument broke out, leading to the fight,” a police officer said.

The Bodakdev police in-charge claimed that officers had contacted the victims thrice, asking them to visit the station to record their complaint. “We were ready to take the FIR. The victims insisted on including extortion charges, but there was no such incident. We are prepared to investigate the assault and the use of weapons as per the law,” the officer stated.

The incident, which took place during rush hour on a busy commercial stretch, has heightened public concern over the brazenness of criminal elements in the city. CCTV footage from the jeweller’s office has been collected for further examination.

The victims are scheduled to meet Ahmedabad Police Commissioner G S Malik on Wednesday afternoon to press for action. Further developments are awaited.