AHMEDABAD : A group of village women on Saturday forced a media team to flee Illol — native village of D.G. Vanjhara, senior IPS officer and chief accused in the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case; who is now under arrest.

The team had reached the village in Sabarkantha district on information that Mr. Vanjhara would be brought to Illol for spot investigation. But as soon as the media vehicles reached the outskirts of the village, the women surrounded the cars and also attempted to assault some of the mediapersons.

They tore the clothes of some journalists and threatened to break the cameras and other equipment of the electronic media. A few stones were also hurled at the team as they tried to escape from the scene, but no one was injured.

The house of Mr. Vanjhara is believed to be the scene of crime in "eliminating" the wife of Mr. Sohrabuddin — Kauserbi, "missing" since November 26, 2005 when her husband was killed in the fake encounter. It was kept barricaded by the local people and no one was allowed to go near it. Mr. Vanjhara's brother had reportedly visited the village on Friday and had made arrangements with the local people not to allow "strangers" near the house.

Villagers tight-lipped

Ever since Mr. Vanjhara's arrest earlier this week, the villagers had remained tight-lipped on Kauserbi and have repeatedly denied any knowledge of her being brought to the village. Some people had even denied that there was any "well" existing in Mr. Vanjhara's farmhouse where a room stands now. The local revenue records, however, clearly show that a well existed in the farmhouse and there is no mention of a room in the middle of the open land.

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