Bloodshed continues with ringing of the new year as a passenger of Dakshin Express was beaten to death on Thursday. The incident, as per Government Railway Police (GRP), occurred onboard Train No 12721 Dakshin Express. The deceased is identified as Shashank Raj (25), a resident of Rajapur in Kaimhara Khiri tehsil of Uttar Pradesh. The accused numbered four and they all hail from Hyderabad. The accused quartet and Shashank were travelling in general coach of the Dakshin Express when a quarrel erupted between them over the issue of stealing of former’s mobile phone.

 

Shashank, along with his friend, were asleep near the latrine when the quartet stole the former’s mobile. When the four were stealing the cash of Rs 1,700, Shashank woke-up and caught them red-handed. This led to an argument and the four ganged up against Shashank and bashed him in full public view. Shashank was on way to his native village and had booked ticket from Secunderabad till Jhansi. He and his friends worked in the fields in Telengana and were returning home after earning their wages. The incident took place as the Dakshin Express was on its way to Nagpur. The time was around 3.30 am and Shashank was isolated while the four from Hyderabad easily dominated. Shashank received internal injuries and he was bleeding from the nose.

 

The other passengers watched the drama from sidelines, not wanting to risk their neck in the troubled waters. The four youth, later identified as Faiyyaz Hashimuddin (19), Sayyed Jimal (18), M Shyam Rao (21) and Aman Akbar (19), all residents of Hyderabad, overpowered the youth. Shashank was badly injured in the assault but later he went to the washroom to clean himself. While he was returning to his place inside the coach, Shashank collapsed and fell unconscious. After learning about the incident, a team of GRP attended Dakshin Express. Shashank was found unresponsive and declared dead on spot. Inquiries with passengers by GRP revealed the bashing of Shashank on part of the accused teen quartret. Meanwhile the accused four had deboarded the train and moved to some lodge in the city. The GRP team traced the accused teens and rounded them and put them behind the bars. Earlier, the passenger told the GRP team that Shashank requested the accused teens to return the money. He pleaded with them but the four accused were not in their senses and pushed Shashank aside. As the war of words erupted, the teens ganged-up and beat up Shashank.