- A 27-year-old criminal was stabbed to death by a friend over a woman in Nagpur
- The victim faced multiple serious charges, including murder and dacoity
- The dispute involved a woman both men were romantically linked to for two years
A 27-year-old notorious criminal, who had been released on bail two weeks earlier, was stabbed to death by his friend and fellow gangster in Nagpur over a dispute involving a woman they both were allegedly in love with, police said.
The incident was reported from the Sundarban area of Narendra Nagar in the city.
Gaurav Pankaj Ragde was stabbed to death allegedly by Gaurav Rambhau Raut and his associate, Abhishek Wasnik.
The victim, an accused in the infamous 'Gamchu' murder case in Nagpur, faced charges for several serious offenses, including dacoity. Records at the Ajni Police Station indicate that approximately nine cases, including murder and attempted murder, had been registered against him.
The accused, Raut and Wasnik, are also implicated in separate murder cases.
Police sources say the victim, who was out on bail, had been in a romantic relationship for the past two years with a woman named 'Rani' (name changed), originally from Mumbai.
However, while Ragde was in jail, Raut - originally from Kalamb (Yavatmal) - came into contact with Rani, and the two developed a close relationship, sources said.
Rani, who wished to distance herself from the world of crime, started a cloud kitchen business in the Narendra Nagar area with Raut and the two had been living in a rented house nearby.
Gaurav Ragde was infuriated when he learned about these developments, sources said.
On Thursday afternoon, Rani visited Gaurav Raut's home, where other friends of Raut were also present and partying with her.
Upon learning this, a furious Gaurav Ragde rushed to Raut's house, sources said.
Finding the door locked, Ragde began throwing stones at the house.
It is alleged that an intoxicated Ragde abused Raut and vandalised the room, smashing glass objects.
Raut and his friends initially tried to escape through the back door to save their lives, sources said, adding that Ragde, intent on settling a score, chased them.
A violent fight broke out between Ragde and Raut on a culvert near the Sundarban Nala in Narendranagar. During the fight, Ragde fell down.
Raut's associate, Vasnik, arrived at the scene. Amidst the fight, they snatched the knife from Ragde and inflicted multiple wounds on him, sources said.
As soon as he collapsed to the ground, the accused fled the scene.
Bystanders, with some even recording the event on their mobile phones, raised an alarm.
Two police personnel, who were on patrol duty nearby, arrived at the scene.
Officers Manish Bhalme and Naresh Sawankar from the Ajni police station rushed to the spot. While Sawankar stayed at the scene, Bhalme gave chase to the accused in a dramatic pursuit.
After chasing him for approximately 1.5 kilometers, Bhalme managed to pin down the accused, Gaurav Raut. The knife used in the crime was also recovered from his possession.
Upon receiving news of the incident, Police Inspector Nitinchandra Rajkumar and his team, along with Beltarodi police officer Prabhakar Kawale and his squad, arrived at the location. Additional Commissioner of Crime Branch Rajendra Dahake, Additional Commissioner Vasant Pardeshi, In-charge Police Commissioner Rishikesh Singaregi, and ACP Narendra Hivare also reached the site with their respective teams.
However, the police faced a dilemma regarding which station should register the case. While the fight began within the jurisdiction of the Ajni police station, the murder itself was committed within the limits of the Beltarodi police station; consequently, the murder case was registered at the Beltarodi police station.
Meanwhile, the injured person was taken to the hospital, where doctors declared him dead after an initial examination.
The roles of other accused individuals in this murder case are now also being investigated.
