Teenager chased, murdered with machete, bricks over past rivalry, search on for accused

The incident took place sometime around 12.30 am on Wednesday when Telangi, Sayan and some other friends were returning home via Comerzone Road in Panchsheel Nagar part of Yerawada after watching the celebrations of the birth anniversary of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar in Vishrantwadi. Telangi and Sayan felt that a gunshot had been fired. Fearing risk to life they started running. Sayan saw Tofik Shaikh, Rajan Doraswami and Samir Shinde chasing Telangi. Tofik was carrying something that looked like a gun while others were carrying machetes, states the FIR.

The assailants inflicted multiple injuries with sharp weapons and also hit Telangi multiple times with bricks leaving him bleeding profusely on the ground. The assailants then fled on their bikes. Telangi’s friends stopped a rickshaw and rushed him to Sassoon General Hospital. He was pronounced dead by the doctors at Sassoon. Subsequently, a case of murder was registered at Vishrantwadi police station.

Senior Inspector Mangesh Hande of Vishrantwadi police station said, “A search is on for the suspects.” Deputy Commissioner of Police Chilumula Rajnikanth said, “There have been past rivalries between the two groups over multiple reasons. Probe suggests that suspect Tofik and deceased Telangi used to be friends. However Telangi’s sister married Tofik and since then their relations have gone sour. We are working on various leads to arrest the suspects. The family of Telangi has told us he was enrolled in a college but was not attending it regularly.”

Police said that investigation has also revealed that Telangi was one of the accused in an attack in which Rajan Doraswami’s brother lost his forehand in a machete attack in July last year. Police are investigating whether this incident was one of the motives of the attack on Wednesday.