A 25-year-old man, who had at least 15 criminal cases registered against him, was chased in his Toyota Fortuner and hacked to death with axes by four to six men on a residential street in Jaipur, Rajasthan, on Wednesday night, police said.
“Vijay Bajiya, a resident of Tibariya village in Jobner and a history-sheeter at the Jobner police station, was murdered on Wednesday night while travelling from Jobner to Jaipur in his Fortuner SUV,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), West, Prashant Kiran said.
The attack was captured on CCTV and mobile phone cameras, and the footage was later widely shared on social media.
According to preliminary investigations, an old rivalry between Bajiya and the attackers is suspected, with police examining whether the murder was an act of revenge.
“A group of four to six assailants travelling in a camper vehicle intercepted and attacked him in Jagdamba Nagar under the Kardhani police station limits. We are investigating the incident from all possible angles,” Kiran added.
According to police, Bajiya realised he was being followed and attempted to escape by driving through the narrow lanes of a residential colony. However, the attackers continued the pursuit and rammed their camper into his Fortuner from behind, forcing him to stop.
{{/usCountry}}According to police, Bajiya realised he was being followed and attempted to escape by driving through the narrow lanes of a residential colony. However, the attackers continued the pursuit and rammed their camper into his Fortuner from behind, forcing him to stop.
{{/usCountry}}Police said that as Bajiya stepped out of the damaged SUV and attempted to flee on foot, the men chased him, surrounded him and repeatedly attacked him with axes. He sustained fatal injuries, while the attackers escaped in the same vehicle.
A police officer said the circumstances suggested that the murder was premeditated.
“We have the CCTV footage of the incident. It clearly shows that the accused had planned the place and timing of the attack. We suspect they had been tracking his movements for several days,” the officer said.
Following the incident, police imposed an A-category blockade and deployed multiple teams to identify and apprehend the suspects. Investigators are examining CCTV footage from the surrounding roads to reconstruct the attackers’ movements before and after the murder.
The body was shifted to a hospital mortuary for a post-mortem examination. Police said efforts were underway to trace the attackers.