Navi Mumbai, July 15, 2026: A long-standing caste-related dispute between two families from Uttar Pradesh allegedly culminated in the brutal murder of a truck driver in Taloja, with police launching a manhunt for the absconding accused.
Old Rivalry Turns Fatal
The deceased has been identified as Chandan Kapilkumar Pandey (45), while the accused is Rameshkumar Swaminath Yadav (40). Both were employed as drivers with Nisha Transport at Nitlas in Taloja. Taloja Police have registered a case of murder against Yadav under Sections 103(1) and 352 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
According to the police, Pandey and Yadav hailed from the same village in Uttar Pradesh, where their families had been embroiled in a long-standing caste-related dispute. The hostility reportedly resurfaced on the night of July 13 when Pandey allegedly assaulted Yadav with a wooden stick in the presence of their co-workers.
Police said that, nursing a grudge over the assault, Yadav allegedly attacked Pandey with a sharp weapon at around 5.30 am the following morning in the parking area of Nisha Transport. Pandey sustained grievous head injuries and collapsed in a pool of blood, while the accused fled the scene.
Police Launch Manhunt
On receiving information, Taloja Police rushed to the spot and shifted Pandey to Panvel Sub-District Hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
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"A preliminary investigation suggests that the murder was the fallout of a long-standing personal and caste-related rivalry between the two families, which was aggravated by a recent altercation. The accused is absconding, and multiple teams have been deployed to trace and arrest him at the earliest," a police officer from Taloja Police Station said.
Further investigation is underway.
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