Body in Ahmedabad's Kharicut with 19 cuts: Five held

AHMEDABAD: Aslali police have arrested five persons for their involvement in the murder of a 33-year-old man. The victim’s body had been recovered from the Kharicut canal; the body bore 19 stab wounds.
The arrests were made on Friday and the information emerged on Sunday. Aslali police had on June 28 registered a case of murder after finding the body. The first task of the investigators was to find the victim’s identity. The second challenge was to determine the motive for the murder. Aslali police formed several teams to identify the victim.
During the investigation, it was revealed that the victim was Kamlesh Panchal, a resident of Punitnagar in Ghodasar.
The cops then received a tip-off about an old rivalry of the victim with Alpesh alias Papesh Thakore, 21, a resident of the same area in Ghodasar. Cops later learnt that Alpesh and his four friends had murdered Panchal.
Police said that Alpesh had persuaded Panchal to meet him. When they were near the Kharicut Canal, Panchal sensed something was wrong and began to run. The five chased him down and slaughtered him.
Police said that all the five involved in the murder have been sent to the Sabarmati jail. Apart from Alpesh, the other men arrested are Parvin alias Panni Thakore, 19; Sanjay alias Laloo Thakore, 23; Sunil Bhatiya, 26; and Dharmendra alias Shero Prajapati, 23. Dharmendra is from Vatva while the other four are from Ghodasar.
Aslali police said that the murder weapon has been recovered from the accused. A rickshaw used during the incident has been taken into custody. However, police have not yet revealed the nature of the rivalry which led to the murder.