One killed, as two groups fight to help hurt girls

A slab collapsing on two young girls in Ghatkopar yesterday had the domino effect, culminating in the killing of a 23-year-old man. The teenagers were visiting a neighbour in Dasar compound around 5.30 pm for some work when a hunk of rock came down on them. Sandhya and Sarika Panegrihi were taken to Rajawadi hospital where the former succumbed to her injuries, while the latter is still recuperating.

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Sandhya Panegrihi was one of the two girls who were injured when the slab fell on them. Ganesh Dunghav was stabbed by the rival gang

"Locals started arriving at the hospital in order to help the victims' family after the girls were taken there," said Vinod Som, a neighbour. Here, an argument broke out between two factions that had arrived to offer assistance, at the end of which a local goon Vinod Shah allegedly threatened two persons - Ganesh Dunghav and Umesh Gaikwad.

"There was a fight and Dunghav, I and two of our friends were warned of dire consequences by Shah and his brothers Ajay and Deepak. We immediately went to Tilak Nagar police station and registered a non-cognisable offence against them," Gaikwad said. Following this, Gaikwad and his three friends returned to their neighbourhood.

"We got off our bikes and were walking towards our homes, when out of the blue seven people attacked us. Three of us managed to run away, but Dunghav fell and was stabbed mercilessly by the assaulters," he added. Police officials have identified the assassins as Vinod Shah, Deepak Shah, Ajay Shah, Babu Kate, Bala Gangurde, Vishal Tawre and Samadhan Kate.

"Seven people attacked these four who were going back home. While in his bid to escape Umesh Gaikwad got injured, Ganesh Dunghav was brutally stabbed to death. Five of the accused have been arrested," said senior inspector Ram Mandurke from Ghatkopar police station.

According to the locals, the accused had assaulted people in the area on several occasions in the past, and a number of cases are lodged against them with Ghatkopar police. The arrested accused have been booked under sections 302 (murder), 143 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object) and 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) of the Indian Penal Code.