A 35-year-old plumber was allegedly beaten to death with an iron rod by two men at a petrol pump in Nanded district on Wednesday evening following an argument over fuel availability, the police said on Thursday.
Incident Details
The deceased, identified as Kifayat Ali Khaja Moinuddin, was working as the chief plumber on a toilet construction project at the petrol pump in Sonkhed village of Loha tehsil. The accused, Balaji Shivaji More and Pawan Choudhary, were arrested on Thursday from Nanded city. Both are residents of Sonkhed.
According to the police, the incident occurred when More and Choudhary arrived at the petrol pump on a motorcycle and asked workers if petrol was available. One of the workers told the duo to check with the owner in the cabin, which allegedly triggered an argument.
Escalation and Assault
The verbal altercation quickly escalated into a physical assault, with More and Choudhary attacking workers Mohammad Aslam Usman and Sheikh Jani Sheikh Gulab. As the situation worsened, Kifayat Ali intervened to defuse the confrontation. The accused, however, allegedly turned on him, abused him, and struck him on the head with an iron rod, causing him to collapse on the spot.
Kifayat was immediately taken to the government hospital in Nanded, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
Arrest and Investigation
Nanded Superintendent of Police Abinash Kumar said multiple police teams were formed to track down the accused, who had fled the scene. “A trap was laid based on specific intelligence, leading to their arrest within hours of the crime,” said local crime branch inspector Atul Bhosale.
A murder case has been registered at the Sonkhed police station, and further investigation is underway.
