A road rage turned into murder of a 21-year-old youth at Gad Mandir Road in Ramtek town, police said on Monday, adding that three persons have been arrested on murder charges. The accused have been identified as Homeguard Manish Bandu Bharti (37), Jitendra Gajendra Giri (23) and Satyendra Gajendra Giri (25), all residents of Ambada ward, Ramtek. According to police, Vivek Vishwanath Khobragade (21), a resident of Sitapur village, near Deolapar, and his friend Faizan Khan, a resident of Paoni, had gone to Gad Mandir to see Shobhayatra late Saturday night. On Sunday, at 5.30 am, the two were heading back to their village on a two-wheeler. Manish was riding an activa moped on the wrong side with his wife and sons.

 

As a result, Vivek’s motorcycle crashed into Manish’s two-wheeler on Gad Mandir road. Manish’s wife and son fell on the road and sustained minor injuries. Angry over the accident, Manish held Vivek responsible for the accident. Jitendra and Satyendra, who were sitting at the roadside, also came up to help Manish. Before Vivek could understand anything, the trio mercilessly kicked and punched him. Manish reportedly demanded compensation from Vivek for dashing their vehicle. Faizan’s brother came to the spot and rescued them by paying Rs 10,000 cash to the trio.

 

Vivek and Faizan returned to their home. When Vivek’s father, who works as security guard at a Dhaba, returned home from job at 6 am, he noticed his son lying unconscious on the bed. He took him to a hospital where the doctors referred him to a private hospital. During treatment, Vivek breathed his last. The police suspected that internal injuries caused during the assault proved fatal for Vivek. On the complaint of Vishwanath Govardhan Khobragade (51), father of the deceased, the police registered a case under Sections 302, 341, 323, 504, 506 and 34 of Indian Penal Code, read with Sections 3 (2) of Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Further investigation is on.