Ghatkopar businessman was stabbed 35 times, say cops

According to the police, the three men came in an auto and attacked Dubey when he was sitting near an eatery close to Tahir mosque between 11.15am and 11.30am.

Sanjay Dubey, a 40-year-old real estate businessman who was killed by three men in Ghatkopar on Monday, was stabbed 35 times in the stomach, chest and neck, police said. While two men, Vijay Akhade, 37, and Sanjay Patwa, 29, were arrested hours after the crime, the third assailant, Gopal Nadar, 32, was arrested on Tuesday.

Police suspect the attack on Sanjay Dubey, also known as Bablu, was a result of rivalry over real estate dealings between Dubey’s and the assailants’ groups. (Sourced)

According to the police, the three men came in an auto and attacked Dubey when he was sitting near an eatery close to Tahir mosque between 11.15am and 11.30am. Police suspect the attack on Dubey, also known as Bablu, was a result of rivalry over real estate dealings between Dubey’s and the assailants’ groups.

The police have recovered footages from two CCTV cameras near the spot. Two men, Santosh Mane and Imran Shaikh, have also been booked in the case. Akhade and Nadar met each other in jail, when they were lodged for different criminal cases. Patwa was Nadar’s acquaintance.

“It was a pre-planned murder as Akhade feared he would have been killed had he not killed Dubey. Dubey sustained 35 injuries, with deep gashes on his chest, stomach and neck,” said Ankush Katkar, senior inspector, Ghatkopar police station.

Police said Dubey’s group and the rival gang clashed on several occasions. In April 2017, Dubey’s brother Manojkumar was attacked by Mane and four brothers using a sword and hockey stick. “In 2017, the group attacked Manojkumar instead of Dubey as the brothers look very similar,” said a police officer.

The police are also investigating the involvement of other people. “Dubey was involved in real estate dealings, which did not go down well with Akhade,” said the officer.