Three men died late on Monday after falling into an open well while fleeing what they believed was a police raid on a late-night card game in Gujarat’s Bhavnagar district, police said.
A fourth man who fell into the well survived. Fearing police officers were about to conduct a raid, the players ran in the dark, and some fell into an open agricultural well. “They thought it was the police and ran. There was a well in the field and they couldn’t see it in the dark.
The victims were identified by the police as Rahul Popatbhai Chauhan, 35; Nilesh Dabhi, 37; and Ajitsinh, 45. Bhavnagar superintendent of police (SP) Nitesh Pandey said around 11 men had gathered to play cards in a field of the village when an unidentified vehicle approached. At the hospital, family members of the victims said the deaths occurred due to a police raid.
Police said the incident took place in Ukharla village in Ghogha taluka. Three persons have died,” Pandey said, underlining that the police hadn’t conducted a raid in the village. Police officials said a search was carried out with the help of villagers, and three bodies were found in the well. The police officer said whoever confronted the group had used abusive words telling them not to run, something that would not have happened in a police raid. “If it was really the police, there wouldn’t be a warning like that,” Pandey said adding that this account is based on statements from those present.
The bodies were found by the police on Tuesday morning after the control room received a call reporting a body.
