Did Sohrabuddin case witness fake an attack?

Udaipur Police suspects that Azam Khan, a key witness in the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case, staged the attack on himself to grab attention.

Azam's friend Iqbal, who was with him at the Udai Sagar lake when the alleged attack took place, told police that Azam engineered a "fake attack" on himself by using a country-made pistol, Udaipur Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Narzary said.

Iqbal was interrogated on Wednesday and Azam, who has been discharged from hospital would be interrogated on Thursday, the SP said, adding Azam was still maintaining that he was attacked by two separate motorcycle borne assailants.

Iqbal told police that Azam's aim was to grab attention, Narzary said.

An expert team of Forensic Science Laboratory in Jaipur,

including ballistic specialists have been called to investigate the matter, he said.

At the time of the attack, only Azam and Iqbal were present at the spot near Udai Sagar lake in the city.

The SP said, "We are initially trusting Iqbal's version. Further investigations are on".

The pistol is yet to be recovered.

Khan, who has alleged that unidentified persons shot him at, on Wednesday said he was not safe in Rajasthan and will shortly shift to Ahmedabad or Mumbai.

Azam said he did not know who attacked him.

Over a dozen policemen, including IPS officers, have been arrested for the 2005 fake encounter killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh, an alleged gangster. Former Gujarat minister of state for home Amit Shah is also an accused in the case.