Mumbai Notes

FAM president Mohan Gurnani said a morcha of tenants, hoteliers and trade union workers has also been planned by the association to draw the attention of the state government to the issue. The morcha will start from Azad Maidan in the afternoon which will culminate near Vidhan Bhavan.

Girl8217;s murder baffles police

n THE brutal murder of a 19-year-old girl in her house at Bhayander on Saturday afternoon has baffled local residents and police officials alike. The police suspect revenge to be the motive behind the incident and not the robbery, as it seemed earlier.

Poonam Gupta was stabbed in chest, stomach and neck by four unidentified persons at 1 pm in her uncle8217;s flat in Geeta Park. Two children, whowere present in the house during the incident, were tied up before the assailants fled with cash and jewellery worth Rs 10,000. Senior police inspector of Bhayander police station P P Nepade said robbery of such small amount cannot be the motive. 8220;The attackers had stabbed 12 to 15 times on different parts of the body which clearly indicated that revenge was the prime motive. If the attackers wanted to rob, they would have entered some wealthy man8217;s house as there are a large number of them in the locality. Why they would they visit the house of lecturer who hardly had have any money in his house?8221; he asked.

Poonam was staying with her uncle Somnath Gupta, a lecturer, for last four months and was attending painting classes. She had completed her education up to 12th standard in Uttar Pradesh and her marriage proposal was being discussed with a family at Borivli. She stayed with her uncle due to lack of space at her father Chellai Gupta8217;s house.

SPI Nepade further said, 8220;We are investigating the detailsof Poonam8217;s life. We are looking for any other marriage proposal or love affair which is usually the cause of such killings.8221;

WR express trains

The Western Railway has increased the frequency of 2428/2427 Ahmedabad-New Delhi Swarna Jayanti Rajdhani Express from weekly to tri-weekly with effect from April 27, 1998.

The train will depart from Ahmedabad from 16.50 hours on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and from New Delhi at 14.40 hours on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The train will halt at Abu Road, Ajmer, Jaipur and Delhi Cantt.