Published on: Aug 24, 2025 03:08 am IST
Verification of his background revealed at least five cases registered against him between 2017 and 2021
The 39-year-old Gujarat man arrested for assaulting Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta has a history of crime, including liquor smuggling and violent attacks, senior police officers said on Saturday.
Autorickshaw driver Rajeshbhai Khimjibhai Sakriya, now in five-day police custody, is being interrogated to establish his motive and probe the possibility of a “larger conspiracy” involving other individuals or outfits. Initially, he claimed he attacked the chief minister to seek justice for a jailed relative. Later, he offered a different explanation, citing the Supreme Court’s recent order on street dogs.
Verification of his background revealed at least five cases registered against him between 2017 and 2021 at Bhaktinagar police station in Rajkot. The first, under sections 326 and 504 of the now-scrapped Indian Penal Code, involved him attacking a man with a sword and a washing bat. In another case, after fighting with his wife, Sakriya injured himself with a blade to threaten his family, leaving him with nine stitches. He was also booked thrice between 2020 and 2022 under the Gujarat Prohibition Act for liquor smuggling and was externed in 2021 under the Bombay Police Act.
Investigators are also questioning a close friend from Rajkot who arrived in Delhi on Friday night. Sakriya had told him of his plan to attack the CM, and the friend allegedly transferred ₹2,000 online before the assault. “Although the friend is claiming innocence, we are probing why he gave him money and did not alert Gujarat Police. He may face conspiracy charges if his role is established,” said an officer.
Police said Sakriya travelled from Ujjain to Delhi on Tuesday, visiting a Hanuman temple before checking into a guesthouse at the Gujarati Samaj near the CM’s Civil Lines residence. He checked out just after 7:25 am on Wednesday—the morning of the attack.