Day after cops claim man shot dead, autopsy terms it stabbing

Bhopal: A day after a 55-year-old grocery trader was found dead allegedly by gunshot on Shamshabad Road in Berasia by cops, post-mortem findings have revealed that he was not shot, but killed with a sharp-edged weapon, police said on Thursday.Police said that the deceased, Hanif Khan, a resident of Ward No. 7 in Berasia, was initially suspected to have died of a gunshot wound after a chest injury was observed at the crime scene. Doctors at Berasia hospital also gave the same opinion. However, cops found no evidence of firing at the spot.During the post-mortem, X-ray and test reports of the injury suggest that the wound was caused by a sharp weapon. The report indicated a single, deep stab wound that pierced through the chest and punctured the heart, leading to excessive bleeding and death.Police said Khan had left his grocery shop around 2 pm on Wednesday on his motorcycle. A few hours later, passersby found him lying in a pool of blood near a dhaba and alerted the police.The area, surrounded by agricultural fields, witnesses minimal movement during afternoon hours, making it difficult to trace any eyewitnesses, cops said. Cops are still trying to establish why Khan had gone towards the spot.Family members told police that Khan frequently visited nearby villages to collect dues related to his grocery business. Police suspect that he may have been targeted during one such visit.A case of murder has been registered against unidentified persons, but no arrests have been made so far. Police said a financial dispute is one of the angles being probed, and Khan's business records are being examined to identify individuals with pending dues. Other possible motives are also under investigation, cops added.