Youths batter man to death in road rage

Five men on two motorcycles beat a 35-year-old man with a baseball bat, smashed his face with a stone and left him to die on Anuvrat Marg on Monday night, according to the police.

Jitender Pawar, the victim, had scuffled with two of the men when their motorcycle hit his car at a road intersection.

Minutes later, the police said, the accused chased him and beat him. Pawar died in half an hour.

Four of the accused have been arrested; one is absconding.

The police said Pawar, a property dealer who had an office at Lado Sarai, was returning home from a gym at Saket at 10.30 p.m. when a motorcycle hit his car at the Lado Sarai traffic intersection on Anuvrat Marg.

Anil Shukla, DCP (south), said, “Pawar stopped his car and tried to reason with the two men, Sandeep and Chander, who were on the motorcycle. After a few minutes, Pawar left the spot. When he reached the next traffic intersection on Anuvrat Marg, three more men, who were also on a motorcycle, followed his car along with the other two. They all beat him mercilessly with a baseball bat and a big stone.”

Mohammad Sahir, an eyewitness, said, “By the time I could reach the car, one of the men lifted a stone lying nearby and smashed Pawar’s face.”

Constable Rohtash Kumar, who was on night patrolling, saw Pawar lying in a pool of blood and rushed him to AIIMS where he succumbed to his injuries.

The five accused — Sandeep (21), Chander (22), Rakesh (19), Suresh (22) and Murari (20) — are residents of Khanpur and Khayala.

The police recovered a motorcycle and a torn portion of Sandeep’s shirt from near the scene of crime.

These helped them track the accused who were arrested on Tuesday morning.

Pawar, a resident of Ward 4 in Mehrauli, is survived by wife Sarita, son Saurabh (13) and daughter Bhavya (8).