In a shocking incident, Shiv Sena’s former corporator Ashok Sawant was stabbed to death brutally by some unidentified miscreants near his Samata Nagar residence at Kandivli in north Mumbai late on Sunday night.
Acting swiftly, police on Monday arrested two of the assailants who had allegedly attacked 62-year-old Sawant with choppers and knives while he was returning home after meeting one of his friends.
Sawant, who had sustained 17 serious wounds at various places on his body including on the neck, chest and head, succumbed to the injuries before he was admitted to a nearby hospital.
The police are on the look-out for three more suspects behind the incident. The motive behind Sawant’s murder is said be a fallout of his refusal to heed to several extortion threats he had receiving in recent weeks. Sawant, who was in the cable business, had reportedly complained to the police some days that he had been receiving extortion threats over phone.
Incidentally, Sawant, a two-time corporator from Poisar village ward, was the brother of Subhash Sawant, who is working with the State Anti-Terorism Squad (ATS).
Preliminary investigations have revealed that Sawant was returning to his apartment at Videocon Towers in Thakur complex., when the assailants who had been lying in wait attacked him with choppers and knives at around 11 pm.
Sawant was on the pillion of a scooter when an unidentified person kicked the scooter making the vehicle go off-balance and prompting the driver to stop the vehicle.
What followed were heated arguments between Sawant and his friend and the assailants who waylaid him nearly 400 meters from his residence.
The investigators are examining CCTV footages recovered from buildings in the locality. They have identified and arrested two of the suspected killers.
“We have arrested two persons and seized an autorickshaw used in the crime, while further investigations are underway,” Deputy Commissioner of Police, (Zone XII) Vinay Rathod said.
The investigations have revealed that the fatal attack on Sawant was “premeditated”. The assailants had carried out reconnaissance before committing the crime. The assailants had come to the site in an autorickshaw.
After having been elected to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) from Poisar village ward, Sawant lost the election once. His daughter was also elected as a corporator once. Some months, he had been a deputy Vibhag Pramukh by the Shiv Sena. Sawant is survived by his wife, a politician daughter, another daughter and son who are both doctors. His family sources said that one of his daughters was to get married on February 5.
Following Sawant’s murder, most parts of Kandivli observed a bandh as mark of respect to the departed ex-corporator. Sawant’s last rites were performed on Monday afternoon at the Borivali east crematorium, where a large number of Shiv Sainks had turned to pay their last respects to their former corporator.