Mumbai : A rickshaw driver was injured after he was shot at by an unidentified person late on Friday evening.
The incident occurred at around 9.15 pm at Kurar village when the victim was talking to his brother outside a construction site in the area. The victim has been identified as 40-year-old Tarkeshwar Samarjeet Singh and is currently recuperating at Shatabdi Hospital.
Police sources said the victim was shot at by one person who had covered his face. “The accused allegedly walked towards Singh and shot him in the stomach. The victim was visiting his brother who is a security guard at a construction site in the area,” said an officer investigating the matter.
The attack is alleged to have been conducted by a member with links to the Uday Pathak gang. “The accused threw an envelope on Singh before walking away from the spot. The envelope contained two letters, the contents of which are being investigated,” said the officer.
Source said that one of the letters was a letter demanding extortion money from a local builder. “The letter was addressed to a builder Suresh Jain and demanded that he pay Rs 15 lakh if he valued his life or would face dire consequences,” said the officer. Incidentally, the victim’s brother works as a security guard for one of Jain’s under-construction sites.
Crime branch officials said that the other letter also contained names of businessmen who were on the ‘hit list’ of the accused. “The letter contained names of four men belonging to various professions and featuring in the affluent community in the area.”
The names allegedly mentioned were Ajit Raorane, Popat Ghanwat, Anand Singh and Guddu. The letters were allegedly undersigned by members of Uday Pathak and Jitu Pathak gang. Uday Pathak, who was a local goon, rose to fame after kidnapping and brutally murdering four people in Kurar village area. He is currently in jail after being arrested for the murders.
Officials of Crime branch (Unit 12) are going through CCTV footage of the area to identify the accused.