Rajkot: A suspected dispute over a social media chat emerged as the possible motive behind the murder of a 23-year-old man in the city, police said on Tuesday.The victim, Umang Jakhelia, a resident of the Rukhadiya Gate area, was allegedly lured out of his house by his friends on the pretext of going for tea before being brutally assaulted near Morbi Road on Monday.According to the preliminary investigation, the prime accused, identified as Nazir (22), along with his friends, visited Umang’s residence in the afternoon and convinced him to accompany them. Police alleged that after taking him to a secluded location, they attacked him with a blunt object and abandoned him in an unconscious and critically injured condition at around 5pm.Family members rushed Umang to Rajkot Civil Hospital, where doctors declared him dead during treatment.Pradyumannagar police registered a case under Sections 103(1), 61(2) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) following a complaint filed by the victim’s father, Ranjit Jakhelia. Police said Nazir’s accomplices were identified as Ghulam, (23) and Sujal, (22), and all three have been arrested. Police are also initiating proceedings to present a minor allegedly involved in the crime before the Juvenile Justice Board.Investigating officer MD Makwana said the initial inquiry suggests that Umang had been communicating through social media with Nazir’s sister. Police suspect that this friendship led to resentment within the accused’s family and may have been the motive behind the attack.Investigators revealed that Umang and the accused were once close friends and the victim visited his home.Police said Umang worked with his father and younger brother in the family’s painting business and was the second of four siblings. The accused were employed in different occupations, with Nazir engaged in fish trading, Ghulam operating a dosa business and Sujal working as a labourer. Police said further investigations are underway in the case.
