Man with murder history hacked to death in Paldi, police probe old enmity angle

A 35-year-old man with a criminal past was brutally hacked to death in full public view in Ahmedabad’s Paldi area early on Friday, in what investigators believe was a revenge killing linked to an old rivalry.

The victim, Naisal Pareshbhai Thakor, was known to be active in land dealings and had himself been named in a 2011 murder case. According to the police, his violent death bears the hallmarks of a carefully planned reprisal.

Swift car without number plate

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 7) Shivam Verma said that around six to seven men arrived near Gangaram Tea Stall, a busy spot in Paldi, in a white Swift car with no number plate. “The attackers are believed to have conducted a recce of the area before executing the murder,” Verma told reporters.

Eyewitnesses said the assailants leapt out of the vehicle, armed with sharp weapons, and struck repeatedly at Thakor in front of shocked bystanders. He died on the spot before help could reach him. The gang fled within minutes, leaving the car’s engine running and vanishing into the adjoining lanes.

Old enmity under the lens

Preliminary investigation suggests that the murder may be linked to an old personal dispute. “Given the victim’s own involvement in a 2011 murder case and his land-related dealings, we are examining the possibility of a retaliatory attack,” a senior investigator said, adding that relatives of Thakor, some of whom were connected to past disputes, are being questioned.

Police sources indicated that the attackers appeared familiar with Thakor’s daily routine and movements. “This was not a random assault; it was a targeted killing,” the officer added.

Search for suspects

Crime branch and local police teams are scanning CCTV footage from the tea stall and adjoining roads to trace the suspects’ route. Forensic experts have also collected samples from the crime scene, including bloodstains and weapon fragments believed to have been left behind during the attack.

“The assailants took care to remove the vehicle’s number plates to delay identification, but we have already gathered several leads,” DCP Verma said. “Teams have been dispatched to possible hideouts, and further details will be shared with the media as the investigation progresses.”

Thakor’s body has been sent for a post-mortem at a city hospital. Police have tightened security in the area to prevent any flare-up of tensions among rival groups.

Residents of the usually busy Paldi neighbourhood were left shaken by the brazenness of the killing. Police have registered an offence of murder under Sections of BNS along with charges of criminal conspiracy and rioting, and have launched a city-wide search for the attackers.