Rakesh pawarA day after a former club-level cricketer was killed in Bhandup, the police Saturday said one more accused has been arrested for his murder, and a juvenile detained. On Friday, the police had arrested a local slumlord, Asif Khan (45), for allegedly killing the cricketer.
The deceased, Rakesh Pawar (34), had got into an argument with the three accused, identified as Khan, his son Sohail (19), and a juvenile, who is a friend of Sohail, at a petrol pump Thursday. The three stabbed Pawar and fled from the spot, police said. Employees at the pump rushed the bleeding Pawar to Rajawadi Hospital, where he was declared dead upon arrival.
Pawar’s murder is likely the result of a feud with Khan, police said. The feud started when Sohail hit Pawar’s brother, Ravi, with his motorbike in 2017, police said.
On Thursday, an argument broke out between Pawar and the father-son duo, who were accompanied by the juvenile. Following the murder, Sohail and the juvenile fled to Mumbra, and then Bhiwandi, where they were tracked down late Friday, said Akhilesh Singh, deputy commissioner of police, Zone VII.
The police are going through CCTV footage of the petrol pump to identify the roles of each of the accused. Pawar is survived by his wife, two children, a brother and sister-in-law, police said.
