Teen’s murder in Kapodra sparks outrage, SIT formed for faster probe

Surat: Chaotic scenes were witnessed at the Kapodra police station as the murder of a 17-year-old boy sparked a furore among locals late on Monday night, forcing formation of a special investigation team (SIT).
The victim, Paresh Vaghela, was stabbed to death by a man named Prabhu Shetty, reportedly after the minor refused to give him money to buy liquor. The incident occurred near Deendayal Nagar when Paresh was returning from his workplace. After a brief altercation, Shetty stabbed him with a sharp weapon.
After Vaghela died in the hospital, the family members and locals gheraoed the Kapodra police station around midnight, and the pandemonium continued till early Tuesday morning. The locals alleged that the Kapodra police failed to control the menace of liquor and drugs in the area, which resulted in a collapse of the law and order situation and serious crimes.
After people gathered in large numbers, police teams from Sarthana, Laskana, Puna, Varachha, and Saroli also rushed to the spot to control the situation. As pressure mounted for speedy justice for Paresh, police were forced to form an SIT. The police assured the family members that they would file charges against the accused within 15 days by expeditiously collecting the evidence as the chorus grew for a death sentence for the accused.
While Shetty was arrested within a few hours of the incident, the cops also caught Abhay Shengane (19), who allegedly supplied him with the sharp-edged weapon. Kapodra police booked Shetty for murder based on the complaint by the victim's father, Arvind Vaghela, a fruit vendor in the area.
"Law and order has collapsed in Kapodra, and the area has become a haven for anti-social elements for several months," Vaghela alleged while speaking to the media. Paresh was the only brother to four younger sisters.
Recently, the State Monitoring Cell (SMC) raided a cow shelter in the area and seized liquor worth Rs 33 lakh.