Vadodara: In a cross-state breakthrough, Padra police arrested a Rajasthan-based man who had evaded capture for nearly two years in a prohibition case, underlining the crackdown on absconders under a special rural police drive.The arrest came under “Operation Parakram”, a drive launched by Vadodara Rural police to trace absconding accused and close pending cases.Investigators identified the accused as Surendragiri Goswami, a resident of Rajiv Nagar in Jodhpur. Police said they tracked him using technical surveillance, analysing his social media activity and mobile phone records.After confirming his location in Jodhpur, a Padra police team travelled to Rajasthan to apprehend him. As the locality had several similar houses, officers posed as officials conducting a population survey to avoid alerting the accused.During the exercise, the team reached Goswami’s residence, verified his identity and took him into custody.Goswami was wanted in a prohibition offence registered at Padra police station in 2024 under provisions of the Gujarat Prohibition Act. He had remained on the run since the case was filed, police said.The accused has been brought to Padra, and further legal proceedings are under way.
