Ludhiana road rage: 21-year-old beaten to death, juvenile among 7 held
The police said the trouble began around 10 pm Tuesday when the victim got into a minor scuffle with two youths over a road-rage incident; both sides allegedly challenged each other to return to the same spot at midnight
A 21-year-old factory worker was beaten to death by a group of youngsters, including a juvenile, after a road-rage dispute escalated into a violent confrontation near Karabara Chowk late Tuesday night, police said. The Daresi police registered a case soon after the incident and, by Wednesday morning, seven persons had been caught.
The victim, Arun Sahni of New Laxmipuri, worked in a hosiery factory. The police said the trouble began around 10 pm Tuesday when Arun got into a minor scuffle with two youths over a road-rage incident. Instead of letting the matter go, both sides allegedly challenged each other to return to the same spot at midnight with more men.
When Arun arrived at Karabara Chowk with his brother Varun and a few friends, the rival group was already waiting with sharp-edged and blunt weapons. As soon as they spotted Arun, the attackers pounced. Arun was beaten up mercilessly, and when his brother and friends tried to intervene, they too were assaulted and forced to flee to save their own lives.
The arrested suspects include Manoj, 23, a vegetable vendor, Happy Bind, 21, a garment salesman, Anish Kumar, 18, a medical store employee, Sunny alias Soni, 19, a mechanic, Mohit alias Aman, 18, a hosiery worker, Anuj Kumar, 18, employed at a vegetable market, and a 17-year-old boy working as a salesman. All are residents of Nanak Nagar or Mohalla Peeru Banda. Five others — Hemant, Gobind alias Jhatka and three unidentified accomplices — are still at large.
Deputy commissioner of police (city) Rupinder Singh said that after the initial scuffle, Arun went home with an injury to his ear. But with tempers running high, both sides agreed to settle scores at midnight. What followed, the DCP said, was a brutal assault that quickly turned fatal.
ADCP, investigation, Sameer Verma said Arun’s brother Varun later returned to the scene after realising Arun had not made it home. He found Arun lying unconscious in a nearby lane. Arun was rushed to a hospital but was declared dead on arrival.
The police have registered a case under Sections 103 (murder), 191 (3) (rioting, armed with deadly weapons), 190 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 61 (2) (criminal conspiracy) and 324 (4) (mischief causing damage) of the BNS. Initial investigation shows that while one accused, Manoj, has a past theft case, the others have no prior criminal history. Officers also noted that the accused and the victim knew each other.
