Attack on vendors in suburban Mumbai; searches intensified to nab four accused

Searches have been intensified to nab four accused who were booked yesterday for allegedly intimidating vendors in suburban Jogeshwari, police said on Wednesday.

The accused-- Priyesh Jaisawal, Navnath Kadam, Sohan Sahu and Lahu--were booked for beating, rioting and threatening vendors in Jogeshwari east.

According to police, the four accused had bashed up local hawkers last evening and vandalised their stalls while threatening to hurt them if they reappeared at the place.

Police has registered a case under sections 143, 145, 147, 149, 505 of IPC against the accused.

"All accused have switched off their mobile phones and are at large. But we hope to catch them soon," said a police officer attached with Jogeshwari police station, where the case has been registered.

"We have learnt that out of the four accused, there are few cases against two of them, which we are in process of ascertaining," added the official.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner of Zone 10, Vinayak Deshmukh visited the area and took stock of the situation.

"The accused have no backing of any party and rumours that MNS workers beat North Indians are baseless," he said.

Earlier, few reports had suggested that MNS workers beat hawkers in suburban Mumbai claiming that they were operating there as 'outsiders', causing inconvenience to Mumbaikars.

Deshmukh vehemently denied such reports and said, "Out of four accused, two are North Indians."