Death lurks by railway tracks

Somendra Sharma & Raju Parulekar

If the ‘beer man’ is in police custody, then who is this other ruthless killer lurking by the railway tracks?

First, a 21-year-old was murdered on Sunday between Charni Road and Grant Road stations. Then, on Wednesday night, 20-year-old Raju Pappu Gupta, a job seeker from Lucknow, was lucky to survive a murderous assault between Grant Road and Mumbai Central stations.

He was stabbed six times on the chest with a sharp weapon, but managed to flee from his attacker. Commuters found him lying in a pool of blood near Mumbai Central station and alerted the police, who rushed him to Nair Hospital, where he was reported to be recovering.

A Crime Branch official, requesting anonymity, told DNA: “The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Mumbai police kept claiming that Ravindra Kantrole was the ‘beer man’.

But Sunday’s killing and Wednesday’s attack on Gupta have cast serious doubts.” The SIT was of opinion that an “aide of Kantrole” was behind the latest crimes. But the Crime Branch official was not convinced. “Serial killers operating as a team would be a first in the annals of crime,” he said.

Going by the modus operandi, at least 10 killings have been listed as possible handiwork of this new serial killer.

“He chooses his victim carefully, ensuring that he is not from the area where the crime is being committed,” said the Crime Branch official. “Gupta came to  Mumbai from Lucknow in search of a job. Had he been killed, his body perhaps would have never been identified.”

Gupta, a native of Rajaji Puram, Lucknow, told the police that he had arrived in Mumbai four days ago in search of a job. He was arrested by the police at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Railway station on Tuesday for ticketless travelling. He was released from the lockup around 6.30 pm on Wednesday.

“Near Bombay Hospital, a man in his 30s, five-foot tall, short hair and wearing a white kurta and green trousers approached me, asking why I looked so tense. I told him I was looking for a job and he promised me one,” Gupta told Churchgate Railway police.
The unkno-wn man escorted Gupta to a dargah near Liberty Cinema, where they had food. The duo then took a train from Ch-urchgate to  Grant Road.

“While they were sleeping near the bushes close to the railway tracks of platform No 1 at Grant Road station, the man suddenly attacked Gupta with a sharp weapon around 11.30 pm,” said Sub-Inspector JB Laadke of Churchgate Railway police.

Gupta managed to break free from the attacker and started running towards Mumbai Central. “As he neared the station, he passed out and tumbled. Some commuters saw Gupta lying in pool of blood near the tracks and alerted the railway police, who rushed him to Nair Hospital,” said Laadke. “By the time police reached the spot where Gupta was assaulted, the attacker had fled.”

‘Beer man’ tale

Ravindra Kantrole alias Parshuram alias Abdul Rahim was arrested on January 22, 2007 in a joint operation conducted by the Azad Maidan police and the Special Investigation Team (SIT).

The Police say Kantrole, a former member of the Dashrath Rane gang, was wanted in at least six robberies and attempt to murder cases.

Kantrole was initially booked for a house break-in and was later arrested by the Azad Maidan police for his alleged involvement in the murder of a 35-year-old man at the foot-over-bridge at Marine Lines on January 11.

The Marine Drive police arrested Kantrole for his suspected involvement in the murder of a youth near the Bombay Hockey Association (BHA) stadium at Churchgate on October 9, 2006.

He was subjected to various tests in Bangalore and Mumbai, during which he has allegedly confessed to have committed several murders

Kantrole’s wife Anjali has maintained that her husband is innocent and has nothing to do with serial killings.