GANDHINAGAR: Even as Inspector-General of Police Geetha Johri on Friday took over the investigation into the alleged Sohrabuddin fake encounter case, an input from the Intelligence Bureau about threat to the lives of the arrested senior IPS officers created a flutter in government circles here.

Senior police and the State Home Department officials held a series of meetings to discuss the situation arising out of the IB input which cautioned the Government about a possible attempt to murder Deputy Inspector-General of Police D.G. Vanzara, one of the three IPS cadre officers arrested in connection with the fake encounter.

State Government sources said the IB input pointed out that over 200 persons, detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) in the Sabarmati Central jail in Ahmedabad, had hatched a conspiracy to kill Mr. Vanjhara and, if possible, Superintendent of Police Rajkumar Pandian, arrested along with the DIG, when the Ahmedabad Metropolitan Court sent them to judicial custody.

An intensive search was launched in the Sabarmati jail on the basis of the input that the conspirators could have already procured acid, remote devices and other equipment to make an attempt on Mr. Vanzara. As chief of the Anti-Terrorist Squad, Mr. Vanzara was responsible for the arrest of most of the POTA detainees.

With the extended police remand expiring on Saturday, Mr. Vanzara and the two other IPS officers will be produced before the court again. Though the police would ask for further extension of the remand on the ground that they would be required for more investigations in the fake encounter, particularly in the alleged murder of Sohrabuddin's wife, Kauserbi, the court might decide to send them to judicial custody.

The high level meeting discussed all the eventualities and reportedly decided to keep the three IPS officers in different jails, in case the court sent them to judicial custody, the sources said.

Ms. Johri, who took back the reins of the investigation, had meetings with senior CID (crime branch) officials to resume the threads of inquiry that were left by the DIG CID (Crime), Rajnish Rai.

Ms. Johri, who originally initiated the fake encounter inquiry at the behest of the Supreme Court, was also reportedly studying the feasibility of sending them for narco-analysis at the Forensic Science Laboratory.

Much would depend on what stand the court take on Saturday on their remand request. The team also reportedly sought to question three policemen from Rajasthan, believed to be connected with the former Udaipur Superintendent, M.N. Dinesh Kumar, the other IPS officer arrested.

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