AHMEDABAD, March 25: Even as Gujarat police are trying to trace out Romesh Sharma's involvement in the kidnapping attempt of Babulal Singhvi, a businessman of Kutch, in September, 1998, they are yet to make any headway into Singhvi's dispute with Sharma over possession of a flat in Sarvodaya Enclave in South Delhi.According to sources, Sharma had rented a house owned by Singhvi in Sarvodaya Enclave. The house was very near to his Mehrauli farmhouse. Sharma had given this house to his girlfriend Kunjom Budhraj so that he could stay close to her. However, after police raided Sharma's farmhouse, Kunjom vacated the house and shifted to some other place.
Singhvi, who wanted to take possession of the house for long put his men in the house. As this rift widened between the two, there was a kidnap attempt on Singhvi in Kutch for which Sharma's name came up.
Meanwhile, Mahesh Desai who had informed the whereabouts of Surendra Mishra, the nephew of Romesh Sharma and the prime suspect in Kunjom's murder case, has demanded police protection after his name was disclosed to press.
Sources quoting Desai said that his name as an informer was disclosed by the police as there was some confusion between Gujarat and Delhi police. Sources said the Gujarat police wanted to keep Surendra Mishra here for more interrogation, but Delhi police investigating Kunjom's murder case were least interested in keeping Surendra with the Gujarat police. Therefore to take credit of the arrest, police disclosed Desai's name.
Desai when contacted, said that he has been promised police protection by crime branch officers and was looking forward to a High Court order in this regard.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.