35-year-old man shot at Vakola by lover’s bro, deaf-mute bystander catches culprit

A 35-year-old man was shot at and seriously wounded at Vakola on Thursday by two assailants. Ramchandra Pal is being treated for bullet injuries at the KEM Hospital. Doctors said his condition is stable.  

The police said one of the gunmen, Izhar Khan, 30, was caught after a chase by passersby and handed over to the police. Izhar’s associate Nazir, who is his nephew, managed to escape.

Izhar was apparently incensed that Pal had got into a relationship with his sister, who suffers from a mental disorder. “It seems that Pal may have taken advantage of her condition. When Khan learned about it after he came to Mumbai, he decided to kill Pal,” said Vinayak Mule, senior inspector, Vakola police station.

Pal, a driver, was outside his residence near Nuri Masjid when he was shot at. The police said they fired four rounds. Three bullets hit Pal in the chest. The incident happened around 11am.

As the two assailants fled from the spot, passers-by raised an alarm. One of the men jumped onto a passing BEST bus. When the bus slowed down some distance away, Arshad Ali Shaikh, a deaf-mute and his friends Rahim Khan and Abdullah managed to get into the bus, caught Khan and dragged him out.

They handed Khan over to two constables, Vikram Nikam and Anil Gunge, who were following close behind. The police recovered a gun and detained Khan’s niece Saba, who helped him identify Pal.

Pratap Dighavkar, deputy commissioner of police (traffic), said the two constables will be awarded Rs5,000 each by the Mumbai police commissioner. “We will also recommend their names for gallantry awards for their bravery in chasing and nabbing the accused,” said Dighavkar.