New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has summoned Gujarat Minister Amit Shah, a confidante of Chief Minister Narendra Modi, in connection with the murders of Sohrabuddin Sheikh and his wife Kauserbi in a police encounter.

Shah, the Minister of State for Home, has to appear before the CBI in Gandhinagar before 1300 hrs IST or else he will be declared a wanted man in the case. "Shah has been asked to appear before us today at CBI office in Gandhinagar," CBI Inspector General of Police Kandaswamy told PTI.

CNN-IBN learns Shah is not legally bound to appear the CBI and may not be in Gujarat this day. Sources say CBI wants to question Shah about the “information” gathered by it and the state police's CID, which is conducting its own investigation into Sohrabuddin and Kauserbi's deaths, that he knew about the fake encounter and was in touch with the police officials blamed for it.

Shah had been absent from cabinet meetings and office in the last few weeks after media reports that the CBI could arrest him.

The Gujarat and Rajasthan Police are accused of killing Sohrabuddin in a staged encounter on the outskirts of Ahmedabad on November 26, 2005. Sohrabuddin was allegedly killed at the behest of Shah and a business lobby from which he (Sohrabuddin) was extorting money, according to newspaper reports. Kauserbi was killed on November 28.

DIG D G Vanzara, Raj Kumar Pandian of Gujarat cadre and Dinesh M N of Rajasthan cadre along with 11 other policemen are under arrest with the CID in connection with the encounter. The CBI has in its custody DCP Abhay Chudasama, who was Ahmedabad's deputy commissioner of police and is accused of plotting Sohrabuddin’s killing.

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