Rajkot: Morbi police solved two cases of involving gang rape and robbery where migrant farm labourers were targeted, arresting three members of a gang and detaining a minor, while a hunt is on for a fifth accused.The crimes occurred on consecutive nights — June 4 and June 5 — in the agricultural outskirts of Jetpar and Chakampar villages. In both cases, armed assailants targeted isolated farms where migrant workers were.On June 4 around 10.30pm, five men armed with knives and sticks approached farm labourers in Jetpar, posing as people looking for a missing girl. When they failed to find valuables, they held a labourer at knifepoint and one of them raped his 22-year-old wife.The next night, the same pattern was repeated in Chakampar. The men woke sleeping labourers, threatened to kill them and demanded cash and jewellery. When none was found, three of the accused gang-raped a 23-year-old woman in front of her husband.Police formed multiple teams with personnel from the LCB, special operations group and parole-furlough squads. Using technical surveillance, CCTV footage and human intelligence, investigators identified the perpetrators as a gang from Kadiyana village in Halvad taluka.Police arrested three adults — Navghan Vaghela (21), Dilip Vajeliya (20) and Munna Vajeliya (23) — all residents of Kadiyana. A 15-year-old boy was also detained, while one suspect remains absconding.Police recovered four phones and a motorcycle used in the crimes.“Investigations revealed that the gang’s modus operandi specifically involved targeting isolated farms at night, threatening labourers with knives to rob them, and sexually assaulting women if no valuables were found. The accused have criminal histories, with multiple offences registered against them in Halvad, Wankaner and Dhrangadhra for prohibition offences and other major crimes,” said Mukeshkumar Patel, superintendent of police, Morbi.BOXPolice issue advisory for farmersAfter these offences, Morbi district police issued an advisory to farmers employing migrant labourers in remote areas. Authorities urged farm owners to provide secure housing with sturdy doors, install CCTV cameras, verify identities of strangers near farms and avoid storing large cash or jewellery at such sites.Police also recommended that women labourers be accommodated within village settlements rather than in distant fields to reduce vulnerability.
