Former Sena corporator knifed to death

Mumbai: Former two-time Shiv Sena corporator Ashok Sawant was stabbed to death in Kandivali’s Thakur Complex late on Sunday. Tension prevailed in the area for some time following the incident and local party workers forced shops to down their shutters in some areas.

The Samata Nagar police has arrested two people — Sohail Dodhiya and Ganesh Jogadand — while three others, including a “notorious goon” called Jaga, are wanted in the case. A preliminary probe revealed that Sawant had had a dispute with Jagga following which the latter threatened him on several occasions. Sawant had lodged a complaint with the police regarding this. The police is looking into two theories about what might have led to Sawant's murder: a dispute over a cable television business and a slum redevelopment project.

It is, however, tight-lipped over the motive. On Sunday night, as soon as Sawant — who was returning home after attending a meeting — alighted from an auto rickshaw near his residence, at least three persons attacked him, stabbing him multiple times with a sharp weapon.

“There are at least 20 stab wounds on the body. He was rushed to a nearby hospital but he succumbed to his injuries,” said an officer from the Samata Nagar police station.

The investigators said that Dodhiya had hired Jogadand to fetch Sawant in his auto-rickshaw and the latter reached the spot in the vehicle following which the attack took place.

“We have also seized the rickshaw and are looking for more accused. We cannot reveal more at this moment," said Vinay Rathod, deputy commissioner of police (zone XII).

The police said that accused on the run are the attackers and the weapon is yet to be recovered. The police got the first lead on the attackers from CCTV camera footage that captured one of them soon after the attack.