Man killed by friends hours after posting photo together

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: A 23-year-old man with a criminal record was allegedly stabbed to death by his own friends late on Tuesday night at Kargil Maidan, under the Pundaliknagar police station limits, barely two hours after posting a photograph with them on social media. The police said the murder was the result of an old feud.The deceased man, Rohit, alias Karan Mhaske, was a known history-sheeter with at least seven criminal cases, including robbery, registered against him across the city. The accused, who also have criminal antecedents, were reportedly harbouring long-standing enmity against him.According to the investigation, the prime accused, Akshay Padul, along with his associates Sagar Ghule, Prafull Pakhare, Sheikh Badshah Sheikh Baba, Shoaib Javed Sheikh and Krishna Udavant, called Mhaske to Kargil Maidan on Tuesday night and spent time with him. The group clicked photographs together, one of which Mhaske uploaded online. "Within two hours of posting the photo, the accused attacked Mhaske with sharp weapons and repeatedly stabbed him, killing him on the spot. The murder was premeditated and linked to previous disputes," said crime branch inspector Gajanan Kalyankar.Police teams launched a swift operation after the incident and arrested five of the six accused. Padul, identified as the main conspirator, is currently absconding and a manhunt has been launched to trace him.Police commissioner Pravin Pawar said both the victim and the accused had criminal backgrounds and that the killing appeared to be the fallout of an old rivalry. "Multiple teams have been formed to nab the absconding accused, and strict action will be taken against all those involved," he said.