Pup scare leads to murder in Dhantoli

NAGPUR: The fight over a dog led to the murder of a man in Dhantoli on Monday in the night. Forty-year-old Ashwin Khandate, a painter, was beaten up as a stray puppy he was playing with dashed against other pedestrian, identified as Naresh Meshram, near railway line in Takiya locality. The offence of murder was not registered at Dhantoli police station till late Monday night.
The senior PI RA Mane said the assailant and victim knew each other passingly.
Cops said Khandate, a resident of Takiya, was roaming in the vicinity along with the puppy. Meanwhile, the puppy brushed against Meshram, a resident of Rambagh Colony. This resulted in an argument between Meshram and Khandate. In the heat of the moment, Meshram punched Khandate in the chest, causing his death on the spot. The locals informed the beat commandos who relayed the information to Dhantoli police station PI.
After the incident, Meshram fled the spot. The body was sent to GMCH for postmortem. Cops are finding whether any previous offences registered against Meshram.