Mumbai: A 30 years old man, a native of Manipur, who works as a food and beverage supervisor at a restaurant in Thane was attacked, stabbed and thrown out of a running autorickshaw on Monday.
The victim, identified as Pangmayung Raikhan, who lives in Thane’s Bhayanderpada, was returning home after completing his shift at the restaurant. He took an autorickshaw from outside his workplace which had two others occupying it along with the driver.
On the to way Raikhan’s home, the autorickshaw driver stopped the vehicle in the middle of a deserted stretch near Ovala Naka to relieve himself. The two other passengers also got down from the autorickshaw, followed by the driver while Raikhan remained in the vehicle. After some time, both passengers and the driver returned to the autorickshaw.
The autorickshaw driver along with the other two passengers began abusing Raikhan, calling him drunk. The passengers then took out sharp weapons from their pockets and started stabbing him. They stabbed him in the chest and the back, causing a puncture to the lung.
Meanwhile, the autorickshaw driver started the vehicle and after some distance, threw Raikhan out of the moving vehicle after stealing his mobile and wallet and fled from the spot.
After a while, a fellow passerby saw Raikhan in a pool of blood and immediately informed the police. He was rushed to Vedant Hospital in Thane where doctors said that the stab was so deep that it had punctured his lungs.
While his family alleges that this is an incident of hate crime, police officials are denying it stating that it was robbing and assault case. Police have said that they are investigating the case from all angles and are looking at CCTV footage of the area. A case has been registered at the Kasarvadavli police station of Thane against three unidentified persons under section 394 of IPC for attempting to rob a person and voluntarily causing hurt.
