Rajkot's 'Raman' claims his 4th victim; man found dead

Rajkot: Just when the buzz around Nawazuddin-starrer `Raman Raghav 2.0', based on a serial killer in the sixties `Raman', picked up three months ago, a 30-year-old man, Sagar Mevada, was bludgeoned to death with stones in Rajkot on April 4. Then, police had assumed it was just another murder which would be cracked soon like many others. But they were wrong.Three months on, city police are at their wits' end to trace Mevada's killer, who allegedly claimed his fourth victim on Thursday, that too in an exactly similar fashion. The stone-man had also smashed another old man, Pravin Barad, to death on May 23 using stones.
A 58-year-old man, who had dozed off on a bus stop in Shapar-Veraval industrial area on the city's outskirts, was found in a pool of blood with his head badly smashed with stones. Thursday's victim was identified as Dhiraj Vika ni, a resident of Devam Apartment in Mavdi area. Vikani had left his house on Wednesday morning for Shapar in search of job.
"It looks like Vikani may have been killed between 2am and 4am. He has been visiting Shapar-Veraval area for the last one month in search of a job,'' said Antrip Sood, superintendent of police, Rajkot (rural).
Police are not ruling out the possibility of the alleged stonekiller. "We are investigating this aspect too," Sood said. However, cops have also learnt that Vikani regularly quarrels with people who objected to his sleeping at the bus stand.
Top police officials including police commissioner Anupam Singh Gehlot and DIG (Rajkot Range) were huddled in a series of meetings in the wake of the fourth murder.
Police are checking CCTV footages from the near-by shops, factories and are questioning people who Vikani met frequently. A mobile sim card was also recovered from the spot.
Since the April 4 murder, the only clue that police have is a blurred CCTV footage of a lanky man stalking 58-year-old man Vallabh Rangani on Kankot Road on June 6. Rangani was ultimately killed with stones. The attacker then used Rangani's mobile phone and informed his family members that he had killed him.
A sketch of the alleged killer has also been prepared based on the description given by a local Jayesh Parmar, who told police that he had managed to escape the assault by the stone killer on Kankot Road, five days before Rangani was killed.
At least 1,500 people, including gays and bisexuals, have been questioned in Rajkot city, Morbi, and Wankaner as police believe that the killer has homosexual leanings. Semen traces were found on bodies of two victims. In Vikani's case, however, police said there was no evidence suggesting sodomy.
Policemen in plain-clothes have also been keeping a watch across the city to nab the stone killer. But to no avail.