A gang believed to be of petty offenders murdered a watchman and a beggar while they were asleep at the local vegetable market yard in Vikarabad town of Ranga Reddy district, 70 kms from here, in the small hours of Friday.
A ‘hamali’ (labourer), Ganesh, was also seriously injured in the pre-dawn attack that created sensation in the town. Fifty-year-old Mohd. Ali was working as watchman at the yard for the past four months. He sleeps at the open place in the yard.
“We believe the killers entered the yard before 3 a.m. and attacked the sleeping watchman with an iron rod,” Ranga Reddy SP, P. Muniswamy, told reporters. The gang went on to attack two more persons, a septuagenarian unidentified beggar and Ganesh, both of whom were sleeping in the open area of the yard.
Death was instant for the beggar while Ganesh was seriously injured. Police believe local petty offenders could be behind the murders. Several small thefts were reported in the yard earlier but the management committee did not inform the police. To check the thefts, the committee appointed Ali as watchman following which the offences declined.
Apparently, the petty offenders wanted to eliminate the watchman coming in their way and planned the attack, the police surmise. However, there was no property to be taken away either from the two victims or the injured Ganesh. The SP, along with the CLUES team and fingerprints expert, visited the crime scene. Sniffer dogs were also pressed into service but could not give any clue.
