Two other accused yet to be held; they had assaulted a businessman with a baseball bat after dragging him out of his car on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway
One of the accused, Aakash Pathak, breaks the windshield of the complainant's car with the baseball bat
One of three accused, involved in a brutal road rage incident on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway in Vasai east, was arrested from his house in Kopar Khairane on Monday, just hours after mid-day published the story online.
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The arrested accused has been identified as Devendra Pathak, who is a clerk in a Kalyan school, said an officer attached to Valiv police station, where the FIR was registered after the incident on Friday morning. The accused trio attacked a businessman with a baseball bat.
“We have arrested one accused, Devendra Pathak, alias Aman. His brother Aakash is absconding with the car in which the accused were travelling on the day of incident. We have learnt that the third accused is their friend. He will also be arrested,” the officer added.
Devendra Pathak has been arrested (right) Harsh Panchal was seriously injured in the incident. Pic/Hanif Patel
On his Facebook account, Devendra claims to be a ‘Mumbai Traffic police ambassador’ and has a police sign on his car. “I doubt there is any such post in Mumbai police. He might be showing off by putting the ‘police’ signboard on his car,” said a police officer.
Sources told mid-day that Aakash is apparently hiding somewhere in Nashik with the car. “His mother is a school teacher and the car is registered in her name,” the officer said.
Also read: Mumbai Crime: Headless body of woman found inside suitcase in Vasai
Accused contacted complainant
After mid-day’s online report went viral on Twitter, the accused contacted complainant Harsh Panchal to settle the matter. “The accused searched me online and saw a common friend who contacted me to know if I wanted to settle the case. But I told him that it is not possible as they had brutally assaulted me in broad daylight,” Panchal told mid-day. Three men travelling in an Ertiga had assaulted 26-year-old businessman Panchal who was headed to his factory in Vasai East. Sources told mid-day, the accused trio were heading to Vasai court for a family matter.
The three occupants of the car chased Panchal for 5-kms and assaulted him with a baseball bat.
It was raining heavily. They pinned him down on the road and continued raining blows for several minutes. However, none of the passers-by stepped in to help as they allegedly also threatened them. Panchal is a resident of Thane and was going to his factory in Vasai from Ghodbundar Road when the incident took place.
‘It was over overtaking’
“The incident took place on Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway at 10am on Friday over overtaking,” said a police officer.
Panchal took out his cellphone to video the incident but could only capture 27 seconds as one of the men smashed the windshield of his car and dragged him out to thrash him. After the assaulters left, he managed to enter the car and go to Valiv police station. “An FIR was registered against unknown persons under various sections of the IPC, but did not add the section of attempt to murder,” Panchal said.
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