MUMBAI: A 42-year-old taxi driver was killed by four roommates with whom he had been living in Saki Naka for seven to eight years, over a heated exchange in the wee hours of Tuesday. The police have arrested one person and booked three others, who are absconding, for murder under Section 101 of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, 2023.
The deceased has been identified as Javed Ahmed Khan. Police said that Javed shared a room with his four friends, all taxi drivers hailing from Pratapgarh in Uttar Pradesh, in the Jarimari area of Saki Naka. The arrested accused, Shehbaaz Khan, 27, told the police that the five of them ordered dinner regularly from a nearby hotel, and whoever reached home first brought parcels for everybody. For three consecutive days, Javed had been getting the parcels from the hotel. But on Monday night, he refused. By 1am on Tuesday, all five roommates had reached home and argued, where Javed told his roommates to return early and be responsible for their dinners.
This argument turned into a fight, where Shehbaaz and the others picked up a wooden stick and hit Javed on the head. A police officer said that his roommates also kicked and punched Javed in the abdomen. “The victim became unconscious and began bleeding. Neighbours gathered outside their room after hearing screams and rushed Javed to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead,” said deputy commissioner of police, Zone 10, Datta Nalawade.
After the police were alerted, they managed to nab only Shehbaaz as the others fled. The Saki Naka police have formed four teams to search the other accused, and are keeping a close watch at major railway stations to prevent their escape from the city, said Nalawade. The officer also said that they are going through CCTV footage, attempting to trace their mobile numbers to arrest them.