Workers kill toll plaza deputy manager in Muzaffarnagar

According to investigators, the chain of events began around 9 pm on Thursday, when Chaudhary and Shekhar arrived late for duty and were reprimanded by Pandey. The two then allegedly abused both him and the toll manager Mukesh Chauhan, who had intervened to stop the two from misbehaving. After this, both the accused had fled the spot.

Around 2 am the next day, the police said, the duo returned to the toll plaza in an Ertiga car with a friend named Pradeep. They barged into the guest house where Pandey was asleep and assaulted him with sticks. When other staff tried to intervene, the trio allegedly brandished a pistol to keep them away. Pandey was then bundled into their car.

As they drove towards Meerut, the accused allegedly continued thrashing Pandey before stabbing him to death in the vehicle. His body, bearing multiple stab wounds, was recovered from bushes in the Jani police station area of Meerut around 11 am Friday and was later sent for postmortem.

The police said Chaudhary and Shekhar have been reported to arrive late to duty often and had been caught consuming alcohol on duty in the past.

Acting on inputs, the police tracked the accused to Rampur intersection on the Panipat-Khatima Road on Friday night. “When the police tried to stop them, the three opened fire. In retaliatory firing, Shubham and Shekhar were shot in the leg and arrested, while their associate Pradeep managed to escape,” Satyanarayan Prajapat, Superintendent of Police (City), Muzaffarnagar, told reporters.

The police said they seized weapons, a bloodstained stick, and the Ertiga car used in the crime. Efforts are on to trace Pradeep, officials said.

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