The Rabodi police arrested three people for allegedly attacking a 40-year-old man with a sword, knife, and wooden stick over past rivalry in Thane’s Rabodi area. Two suspects remain at large. The incident caused local residents and shop owners to shut their shops and flee.
CCTV footage of the attack went viral, showing four to five people wielding a sword to terrorise the community. The arrested suspects are Adil Shaikh, 25, Javed Shaikh, 38, and Khwaja Shaikh, 24. The absconding suspects are Arif Shaikh, 28, and Rahul Yadav, 25. All are residents of Rabodi. The trio were produced in court and remanded to police custody until August 10.
The complaint was filed by the victim Wasim Qureshi. On August 8, around 5.30pm in the Janta Bakeri locality, Qureshi and his brother were approached by Arif and Khwaja, who verbally abused Qureshi. After Qureshi and his brother left, three other accused arrived with weapons and assaulted Qureshi, resulting in injuries to his chest, face, and hand. They also threatened bystanders, causing them to flee.
Qureshi’s brother alerted family and friends, who took him to a nearby hospital for treatment. According to Lahu Rathod, the investigation police officer, the attack stemmed from an old rivalry, with both parties having prior criminal complaints against each other. The police are conducting a panchanama of the scene and recording witness statements.