History-sheeter stabbed to death, old rivalry suspected

Rajkot: A 45-year-old man, who had a long criminal history, was stabbed to death near a temple in Porbandar district on Sunday.
Meraman Khunti, also known as Langi, was attacked with a knife and other weapons next to the Shankar Bhagwan temple in Bakharla village. Police have identified one of the assailants as Sanjay Devshi (alias Bhaniyo Odedra), a history-sheeter, a resident of the same village, while the second remains unidentified.
According to the victim's wife, Manju, at about 8.45pm Meraman had stepped out to buy bidis. She learned about the attack from a villager and rushed to the scene, where she found her husband unconscious and bleeding. Emergency services later pronounced him dead.
The investigation revealed that the murder may have been motivated by a six-month-old dispute between the victim and one Deva, the father of Ramesh Khunti and a friend of the accused Sanjay Devshi.
"Teams have been deployed to apprehend the suspects using technical and human intelligence," said Porbandar rural DySP Surjit Mahedu.
The victim and the prime accused had long criminal records. Meraman faced over 10 criminal cases, including four for murder and was linked to the Mulu Modhwadia murder. Sanjay Devshi was also previously charged with attempted murder.
A case of murder was registered at Bagvadar police station under the BNS based on the complaint filed by the victim's wife.