Hyderabad, Sep 21: An auto-rickshaw driver was to death allegedly by a group of people following an argument over Rs. 10 change in the old city of Hyderabad, police said.

The incident occurred on Sunday evening in Vattepally under limits of Falaknuma Police Station.

The victim was identified as Mohammed Mukarram (42). His brother Mohammed Afroz said he was brutally assaulted and murdered in front of his family members.

According to Afroz, when a passenger who gave Rs.200 note to Mukarram towards the auto fare of Rs.10, Mukarram asked him to pay the change. This led to an argument and the passenger called some others who thrashed Mukarram, resulting in grievous injuries. He succumbed before he could be shifted to a hospital.

Afroz alleged that Azeem, reporter of a local news channel, Shoaib and 6-8 others were involved in the killing.

“My brother was epileptic and weak-hearted. Despite my requests to spare him, they kept raining blows on him and he collapsed,” said Afroz as he broke down narrating the incident before media.

Mukarram is survived by wife and four children. Afroz demanded the government to do justice to the family by ensuring harshest punishment to the killers.

Police said they have registered a case and took up investigation.

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MLA Mohammed Mubeen visited the area and consoled the family of the victim.

The MLA demanded immediate arrest of the accused. He voiced concern over the growing incidents of crime in Vattepally area and demanded the police to intensify patrolling.

The incident occurred amid spate of murders in Hyderabad. The city has witnessed eight murders during the last two weeks.

Use of knives, sickles and other sharp-edged weapons for targeting murders in crowded places is causing a huge public concern.

Last week, a rowdy sheeter was hacked to death inside a wine shop permit room in Bandlaguda area. Previous enmity with a childhood friend was said to be the motive behind the killing.

Voicing concern over the series of murders, AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi recently demanded that the government establish dedicated anti-murder squads of the police to ensure swift investigations and secure convictions within a year.

Nalanda, Sep 21: A brick kiln contractor allegedly abducted and brutally assaulted a labourer and his wife over a disputed debt of Rs 1,000, killing the labourer, Surendra Manjhi, and burying his body in a pit, police said. The body was later recovered, and raids were launched to arrest the accused on Monday.

The deceased man’s wife, Nauleja Devi, alleged that she and her husband were forcibly taken from their house and assaulted. She also claimed that the accused subjected them to electric shocks inside a house.

Speaking to media, Nauleja said, “We had taken the money and had almost paid all of it, but only Rs 1,000 was left.”

“They came and kidnapped us and beat me and my husband after tying us to a tree. They beat us four times. They almost broke my legs, but somehow I managed to save myself,” she alleged.

“They killed my husband around 4 a.m. Only Rs 1,000 was left to pay. We had already paid the entire Rs 60,000 we had taken from them,” she said.

“Despite us having paid the money, they abducted me and my husband,” she alleged.

Nauleja further alleged that the accused were demanding Rs 7 lakh over the remaining Rs 1,000.

“They were demanding Rs 7 lakh for Rs 1,000. How could we have paid such a huge amount? We had taken this money around four years ago. That is why they were demanding it and killed my husband,” she alleged.

Nauleja claimed that the accused took them to Paparnousa village, where her husband was allegedly killed.

“They took us to Paparnousa village, where they killed my husband. They murdered him in that village itself. Those who killed him were from the Yadav community,” she alleged.

The woman is a resident of Nilkanth Bigha village and said she and her husband had been working at a brick kiln for around a year.

“We were working there at the brick kiln for one year,” she said.

The incident reportedly took place around a week ago.

She further alleged that she and her husband had been working at the brick kiln and named Mukesh Yadav, Manish, Dilkhush and Mauli Devi as those allegedly responsible for the incident.

Police have recovered Surendra’s body and launched raids to trace and arrest the accused. Further investigation into the allegations and circumstances surrounding the death is underway.

New Delhi, Sep 21: In yet another horrifying case of crimes against women and children in the national Capital, a sixth-grade student was sexually assaulted inside a shop in Delhi’s Sadar Bazaar area after she was restrained and her hands and legs were tied, police said on Monday.

The minor had reportedly gone out to purchase stationery when the incident took place.

The incident came to light after police received a PCR call on the night of September 16 regarding the alleged sexual assault of a minor girl by a shopkeeper, officials said.

Following the information, teams from PS Sadar Bazaar, along with ACPs of Sadar Bazaar and the Women Police Station, immediately reached the spot and initiated action.

Police said preliminary facts that emerged during the enquiry indicated that the minor had stepped out of her house at around 11 p.m. to purchase stationery items. During this time, she was allegedly lured into a nearby shop by the accused, where she was restrained and sexually assaulted.

Based on the complaint of the victim, a case was registered at the Women Police Station of North District under relevant sections of law, including provisions related to rape, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and wrongful confinement.

Police said the accused, identified as 56-year-old Maqsood, was arrested. Following his arrest, he was sent to judicial custody on the same day after due legal procedure.

Further investigation is underway.

This comes on the heels of the gang rape and murder of a teenage girl by four persons, including three juveniles, in Delhi, with police saying the accused subsequently abandoned her body in an open area.

Parts of the victim’s decomposed body were later found to have been eaten by stray dogs.

According to police, the incident came to light on September 13 when the girl’s severely decomposed body was discovered near a field along Kushak Road in the Swaroop Nagar area of North Delhi. The condition of the body was such that police could not initially determine the victim’s gender.

Police said the victim was acquainted with the accused and had been travelling with them in a tempo. During the journey, the group allegedly consumed alcohol before the girl was sexually assaulted. She was subsequently stabbed to death, after which her body was allegedly dumped in the open field.

Subsequently, after a thorough investigation, four persons connected with the incident, including three juveniles, were arrested.