In a shocking case of barbaric conduct, a group of seven youths, including two minors, tortured a 25-year-old physically challenged youth for over an hour-and-a-half in Kamraj Nagar in Ghatkopar (east), suspecting him to be a thief. After finding him dead, the group threw the body in a nullah to destroy evidence.
The youth, Sachin Bankar, a resident of Ramabai Nagar in Ghatkopar, was beaten up with a cricket bat, PVC pipes, bamboo sticks and electric wires. The incident took place on June 26.
“Sachin’s right foot was damaged in a road accident a few years ago. There was no criminal record against him,” said police inspector Vijay Khaire of Pant Nagar police station.
The police said Santosh Pujari, alias Vada, the main culprit, and four others were returning to their Kamraj Nagar homes at 2.30am when they noticed Bankar and his friend Balu moving around.
Pujari called out to the duo, suspecting them to be thieves. A scared Bankar tried to flee while Balu hid behind a bush to escape attention. Poojari and his associates chased Bankar and managed to corner him. They started slapping and punching him immediately and two of their friends joined in soon. On hearing Bankar scream, some residents got up, but they failed to intervene.
Poojari and his friends thrashed the youth with a cricket bat, bamboo sticks and PVC pipes lying near a public toilet. The torture continued up to 4am till he fell unconscious. At 6am, they came back to the spot again. Upon seeing Bankar dead, they took his body and threw it in a nullah.
The murder came to light around 7.30am when a ragpicker found the body with multiple injuries. The police identified the victim after circulating his photograph and other physical description among the residents of Kamraj Nagar and Ramabai Nagar. Three hours later, Devidas Bankar, an MTNL employee, identified the deceased as his son Sachin.
Pujari and his six associates were preparing to escape to Pune when, acting on a tip-off, the police nabbed them at Kalyan station.
They were identified as Santosh Poojari, 22; Vijay Raut,19; Rahul Pawar, 19, Vishal Dhotre, 21; Sachin Phalke, 19;and two minors.
“There are other criminal cases against Poojari,” said the police adding five of the accused were remanded to police custody till July 8 by the Vikhorli metropolitan magistrate’s court. “The two minors were sent to the Dongri remand home,” said Khaire.
During interrogation, Balu said that they had gone to Kamraj Nagar for a stroll.
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