Soharabuddin's aide Sylvester nabbed in Udaipur

New Delhi: Sylvester Daniel, a key aide of slain gangster Sohrabuddin Sheikh, had escaped from the custody of the Gujarat police on Saturday. Sylvester was nabbed in Udaipur late on Saturday evening.

Sylvester was lodged in the Vadodara central jail and was taken to Udaipur for a court hearing.

Sylvester is a key witness for the CBI which is investigating the Sohrabuddin case. CBI has asked the Vadodara Police Commissioner for an explanation on the circumstances of his escape.

The CBI has also expressed conccern bout his safety in the letter written on Saturday. Vadodara commissioner of police Satish Sharma said Sylvester was escorted by four policemen on the way to Udaipur.

Silvester was an accused in a firing case at the office of Popular builders in Ahmedabad for ransom. He could have been an important witness for CBI which is investigating the Soharabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case.

Sylvester had given a statement to the CBI, stating that he and Tulsi Prajapati had fired at the office of Popular Builders owned by Raman and Dashrath Patel, on the behest of arrested cop Abhay Chudasama, and he believed that the money extorted from them was also given to former Home Minister Amit Shah.

"The accused Silvester alias Dipu was produced in a local court by a team of Gujarat Police and was being taken back to Gujarat when he managed to escape from their custody," IG-Udaipur range Govind Gupta said.

Dipu had escaped when the police vehicle in which he was being taken to Gujarat broke down near Reti area on Friday night, he said.

On the pretext of going to the toilet, Dipu managed to escape from the scene, he said.

However, reports from Vadodara said that Dipu escaped when the police party stopped on the highway for tea.

A complaint in this regard has been registered in a Rajasthan police station.

A team of police officers from Vadodara will be soon be sent to Rajasthan to nab Dipu.

Sheikh was killed in an alleged fake encounter. Fourteen policemen including three IPS officers are behind bars in the encounter case.