Days after cab driver’s murder, Mansa man held, knife seized

Mohali, August 6

The police today arrested Mansa resident Raju (30) from his hometown for allegedly stabbing a taxi driver to death in Mullanpur on July 31. The knife used in the crime has been recovered from his possession, the police claimed.

Sources said Raju had hired the taxi on the spot from Sector 43 with the intention to snatch the vehicle. The suspect, already armed with a knife, took the driver, Dharam Pal (35), who belonged to Rajasthan and was residing in Zirakpur, to the Mullanpur area through Milkh village where he allegedly attacked him.

The driver tried to resist the attack and hit the assailant in the face and hand, but Raju stabbed the driver in the neck with his knife, they said. “There are already two-three cases of snatching and robbery registered against Raju. After the incident, he went back to Sector 43 and took a bus to Mansa. The police are probing whether the assailant was under the influence of drugs,” a source said.

After the crime, the police traced the route of the vehicle and found that the driver took the road from Milkh village rather than the usual route from Sector 43 to Mullanpur.

The murder took place on July 31 near Palm Residency, Mullanpur, around 9 pm. Passersby said the victim, a native of Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan, was stabbed in the neck and was left to die in a secluded area. The police said the injured driver got off the car and walked up to 100 m to seek help. When the police rushed him to the PGI, he was declared dead on arrival.

Members of the taxi drivers’ union feel that there are some pockets in the tricity where crime against cab drivers was frequent. There have been four to five such incidents in three months. They demanded increased police patrolling and better lighting at such secluded spots.

Wanted to snatch vehicle?

• On July 31, Raju hired a taxi from Sector 43 with the intention to snatch the vehicle
• Armed with a knife, he took driver Dharam Pal of Rajasthan to Mullanpur via Milkh village
• He then attacked the driver, who hit him back; Raju stabbed the driver in the neck
• Cops traced the cab’s route, found driver took road from Milkh village rather than direct route