Nagpur: Armed goons ran amok on the desolate Gorewada to Pitesur road in Nagpur before allegedly robbing and stabbing an autorickshaw driver to death shortly after Saturday midnight, raising questions over police patrolling in the area.The goons also injured one of the nine catering workers, including women, who were returning home in the autorickshaw after an assignment in Gorewada. The goons also reportedly manhandled the women in the group, said police.Sources said an armed robbery was reported in the same area last week. Now. the murder sparked demand for intensified patrolling and better security measures on vulnerable roads like Gorewada-Pitesur.Mankapur police, crime branch and Gittikhadan police launched a joint operation and nabbed seven assailants within a couple of hours, said sources. An FIR was registered at Mankapur police station under relevant sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita along with Maharashtra Police Act Section 135.Commissioner of police Vishwas Nangre Patil recently laid down a comprehensive blueprint and urged all police stations to deploy nakabandis and conduct surprise checks at vulnerable locations, especially during night hours. Yet, the Gorewada-Pitesur stretch remained largely unguarded with no effective night patrolling, said sources.As per the complaint filed by Sheikh Salim Sheikh Sameer, 26, a catering worker from Boriyapura Mominpura, the incident occurred around 12.30 am, when they were travelling in the autorickshaw being driven by Mohammad Kashid Mohammad Rafiq, a resident of Mominpura.The complainant stated that seven to eight knife-wielding persons were forcibly stopping vehicles and pedestrians before intercepting the autorickshaw near Hanuman Temple T-point on Gorewada to Pitesur Road in an attempt to rob the passengers. When the catering workers resisted, the goons allegedly charged at them with knives. A catering worker, Kamlesh Jadiya, sustained injuries on his left hand during the assault.The miscreants then assaulted the driver, Mohammad Kashid, and stabbed him repeatedly in various parts of the body, snatched his mobile phone and around Rs 3,000 cash and fled. Kashid was rushed to a hospital where he succumbed to injuries during treatment, said police.Senior officers from Mankapur police rushed to the spot. Police activated their informer network, checked CCTV footage to identify seven accused and nabbed them within a couple of hours, said sources. Most of the arrested accused have serious offences in the past, said sources.The arrested accused have been identified as Yash Gawande, Navin Uike, Raj Thakur, Sameer Uike, Sanjay Jogi and Rohit Jagdale, all residents of Gorewada, while a 17-year-old boy has been detained. Sources said two more unidentified accused are yet to be nabbed. All the accused have confessed to the crime, said police.Police officials said the investigation is in progress to trace the remaining accused and recover the looted items.
