Two migrant workers from Madhya Pradesh were burnt alive around midnight on the outskirts of Gundaran village in Liliya taluka of Gujarat's Amreli district, after the Tufan passenger vehicle in which they were sleeping was allegedly set on fire, police said on Tuesday, November 3. The dead were identified as Nitin Pachaya, 21, and a 16-year-old boy. Both worked as labourers in the area.
Source: IANS via The Freedom Press
Police said the accused, Vinod Dodiyar and his brother Raju, allegedly poured an inflammable substance on the vehicle and set it ablaze, trapping the two occupants inside. Liliya police, senior officers and a Forensic Science Laboratory team reached the spot after the incident, and the two accused were arrested. A case has been registered under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including Section 103(1) for murder, according to officials.
Source: IANS via The Freedom Press
Investigators say the killing grew out of a dispute over the vehicle itself. According to police, Vinod Dodiyar had bought the vehicle from the complainant, a relative of the victims, on instalments, and an outstanding amount of Rs 60,000 (yaani about sixty thousand rupees) remained unpaid. After the instalments were allegedly not cleared, the vehicle was repossessed about 10 days ago, which police say angered the accused. Zee News, in its report, said the two men were first taken into custody for questioning and put the amount still due at about Rs 30,000; police have not publicly reconciled the two figures.
Source: Zee News English
Police said further investigation is under way to establish the full sequence of events and whether anyone else was involved. The accused are alleged to have carried out the attack; the allegations are yet to be proved in court.
The two workers were asleep inside the parked vehicle in a field at Gundaran when it was allegedly set on fire over the repossessed vehicle's unpaid instalments. The vehicle was completely gutted.