How a video by a woman in Israel, alleging abduction of her family, led to arrest of woman from ‘Godmother' Santokben's clan in Porbandar

Indian Express

02-05-2025

Earlier this month, a video uploaded on social media by a Porbandar woman, presently living in Israel, caught the attention of the Gujarat Police.
In the video, the woman, Leelu Kuchhadiya, claimed that her father Bhana Odedara, husband Bhanu, and teenaged son Ranjit had been held hostage by Hiralba Jadeja – a member of the powerful political clan of Kutiyana in Porbandar.
On April 27, the trio went to the police station and dismissed the allegation made in Leelu's video.
On April 30, though, Bhana approached the police again and made a shocking allegation: All the claims made by Leelu in the video were true. He alleged that he, along with his son-in-law and another family member, and later his grandson Ranjit, was picked up from his home and taken to Hiralba's house where they were kept for over two weeks. The 65-year-old man further alleged that they were asked to return the money that Leelu had allegedly borrowed from Hiralba and made to sign several blank cheques.
On Thursday, Hiralba was arrested on charges of abduction, extortion and criminal intimidation, among other sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Hiralba is the widow of Bhura Munja Jadeja, the former one-time MLA of the Ranavav-Kutiyana assembly constituency of Porbandar in 1995, which, after delimitation in the late 1990s, became Kutiyana constituency.
She is also related to current Kutiyana MLA Kandhal Jadeja, the son of her brother-in-law, gangster Sarman Munja Jadeja, and his wife Santokben who was popularly known as 'Godmother'.
The FIR against Hiralba Jadeja, and two others, brothers Hitesh Bhima Odedara and Vijay Bhima Odedara, and 4-5 unknown people, was filed at Harbour Marine police station on Wednesday.
The FIR stated that on the intervening night of April 10 and 11, four to five men arrived at the family's home in Kuchhadi village and woke up the complainant, Bhana, who was sleeping on the porch. They asked him to wake up Leelu's husband Bhanu and another relative, Gigi, asking all three to accompany them to Suraj Palace – the home of Hiralba. By the next morning, Gigi had been allowed to return to her own house.
Later that afternoon, Hiralba called Bhana and Bhanu to her chambers and alleged that Leelu had borrowed Rs 70 lakh from her. When Bhana denied any knowledge of the matter, the accused made a video call to Leelu and demanded the money, said the FIR.
Two days later, the accused picked up Leelu's son Ranjit, 17, and brought him to the bungalow, the FIR stated.
According to the FIR, Bhana and his son-in-law Bhanu were thrashed for the next two weeks and made to call up their relatives as well as their sarpanch, asking for the money.
The accused then made the complainant and Bhanu sign 11 blank cheques, the FIR said, adding they also took some jewellery from their home.
By this time, Leelu had made the video narrating her ordeal and shared it on social media.
On April 27, the accused gave Bhana and Bhanu their car and asked them to go to the police station to record their statement, the FIR said. Under duress, the complainant did not divulge any details of what had transpired the past fortnight, the FIR added. After going home, Bhana talked to his relatives and decided to file a formal complaint against Hiralba and other accused persons.
At a press conference on Thursday, Porbandar Superintendent of Police (SP) Bhagirathsinh U Jadeja said, 'Leeluben, who is in Israel, had uploaded a video in which she alleged that Hiralba and her men had abducted her husband and son and that she (Hiralba) was attempting to extort them. When the police reached out to Bhanu and Ranjit, they claimed no such abduction had taken place. However, finding their statements suspicious, the police continued the investigation and finally, on April 30, Leeluben's father came forward and filed a complaint against Hiralba and others.'
SP Jadeja further made an appeal to the public encouraging other victims, if any, to come forward and file complaint against the accused. Speaking to The Indian Express, the SP said that the police are still looking for the other accused in the case and that they will be arrested shortly.
It was not clear yet whether Leelu had borrowed any money from Hiralba or not.