Ashok Shah (49), who owns a rice shop in Chandansar market, Virar east, died on Sunday night after being shot at by unknown persons, who later made away with '8 lakh that was on Mr Shah’s person.
Following a tip-off that a repeat offender from Mumbai attacked Mr Shah, police officials have been dispatched to various parts of Mumbai in search of the accused.
Mr Shah was a known merchant in Virar and as per routine, at about 10.30pm on Sunday, closed his rice shop, keeping Rs 8 to Rs 10 lakh which he had earned that day in a polybag. He was putting the bag containing the money in his vehicle when two unknown persons sneaked up and tried to grab the bag from him. Sources said Mr Shah resisted and started shouting for help. One of the businessman’s workers and his two nieces Hina Parekh and Amita Soni, rushed to the spot to help him. However, “The attacker hit the worker with the back of his gun and then fired a bullet at Mr Shah,” said a police official. Soon after, he escaped along the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway on his Pulsar vehicle.
Meanwhile, Mr Shah, was rushed to Sanjeevani Hospital in Virar from where he was taken to J.J. Hospital. With the bullet having hit Mr Shah’s chest, he died during treatment on Monday morning. Based on the description given by Ms Soni and Ms Parekh, officials prepared a sketch and teams were formed to nab the accused and dispatched from Virar. Senior officials said that the suspected motive behind the killing is purely robbery and as Mr Shah resisted the robber, he shot him.
Another police official, recalling the sequence of events, said that the robbery was pre-planned and the accused came on two different motorcycles. Two accused were on one motorcycle and three were on another. The accused have various cases registered against them in Vasai and Mumbai area. The official also told this newspaper that there is no CCTV camera on Mr Shah’s premises. The official further said the accused were aware that Mr Shah stayed in Yashvant Nagar area of Virar west and would every day go home on his Activa with all the money earned.
