Kolkata: Kundan Maharaj (24), who was driving his own cab while ferrying some passengers to Burdwan from Howrah, has been murdered when he resisted their attempt to loot the vehicle.
He was a resident of Howrah's Liluah. The accused are believed to be car lifters, who booked the vehicle under the pretext of going to Shaktigarh.
According to the investigation, police came to know that four youths boarded the vehicle from Howrah and told the victim, who is also the owner of the car, that they would go to Shaktigarh.
The family members of the victim told the police that when he reached Shaktigarh, the youths asked him to drive 10 kms further towards Burdwan side. Maharaj then captured some photographs of the passengers and sent to his father through social a networking app on Saturday night.
Police on Saturday night recovered the body of the victim that was lying on National Highway 2. There were several stab marks in his abdomen. The car was found at a distance of around 10 km from the place where the body was spotted. A sharp weapon was also found inside the vehicle which was carrying blood stains.
According to a preliminary investigation, police suspect that the miscreants stabbed the victim and dumped him on the road side. Then they sped up the vehicle in an attempt to loot it. On their way, they met with an accident as the vehicle was at a top speed. When the car met with an accident, the accused youths fled the spot leaving the vehicle there.
Police suspect that the miscreants might be a part of interstate car smuggling racket. Police have seized the car and recovered the mobile phone of the victim. The family members called up the victim several times but the phone remained unanswered until the district police recovered his body. They have started a detailed probe and are conducting raids.