‘He took a swipe, missed by a whisker’
CLOSE SHAVE Kapil Vikal, a neighbour of the accused’s inlaws, said he was attacked by the ‘killer’ but managed to save himself
His clothes were covered in blood. He took a swipe at my hand with the rod and left me injured. But I managed to push him out and lock my gates again... He kept shouting that he was going to kill me.
KAPIL VIKAL
NEW DELHI: On Tuesday, Kapil Vikal could have ended up being the seventh victim of Naresh Dhankar’s killing spree in Palwal, if not for his prompt action.
“I was used to Dhankar creating a ruckus outside his in-laws’ home every few weeks. On Monday night too, Dhankar created a scene, abusing his wife and in-laws who refused to let him in. He left a little before midnight,” recounted Vikal, a neighbour of Dhankar’s in-laws. He works as a manager with an automobile firm.
Vikal added that he was woken up around 6.30am on Tuesday by a loud rattling of his iron gates. “Dhankar was back. He was shouting abuses at his wife and rattling on my gates, urging me to let him in,” Vikal said.
Vikal refused to oblige, prompting Dhankar to resort to requests and pleadings. “Dhankar told me he was dying due to the cold. He begged me for a cup of tea. I took pity,” said Vikal.
But as soon as Vikal had unlocked the gates, Dhankar tried to barge in. “It was then that I noticed the heavy iron rod in his hand. His clothes were covered in blood. He took a swipe at my hand with the rod and left me injured. But I managed to push him out and lock my gates again. He then broke an iron piece from my gate and hurled it at me from outside,” recounted Vikal.
Vikal, who was alone at his house at that time, immediately tried to call the police, but failed to get through. So, he called one of his friends and urged him to bring a police team. Dhankar, meanwhile, had walked over to a neighbouring street, allowing Vikal to come out of his house and keep an eye on him.
But the moment Dhankar saw him outside, he chased him with the rod in his hand. “He kept shouting that he was going to kill me. I could have been his seventh victim, had he not missed by a fraction of a second,” said Vikal.
Vikal later gathered a few neighbours and ensured that the killer did not leave the area. It was around 7.15am that three police vehicles finally rolled into the neighbourhood.
“When the police arrived, Dhankar ran into a house that was open. Fortunately, there was no one inside. When the policemen tried to restrain him, he attacked one of them with the rod. The police immediately responded and beat him up with their lathis, with one of the policemen even whipping out his gun,” said Vikal.
Before Dhankar could be overpowered, he reportedly made a last ditch attempt to escape by jumping into a drain flowing in the neighbourhood. He, however, was overpowered, taken into custody and booked for murder.
30-32, a housewife. She was the attendant for a woman undergoing treatment for post-delivery complications at Palwal Hospital. Her body was found in the waiting area on the first floor of
Palwal Hospital.
35-37, a guard. He was serving as a guard outside a cluster of shops on the roadside, barely 100 metres from the Palwal Hospital.
50-52. Found dead on the road, outside the public toilet adjacent to the Palwal City police station.
42-43, a guard, who was most likely sitting near a tandoor outside a restaurant. His body was found around 100 metres on the opposite side of the Palwal City police station.
50-52, a guard employed by a local scrap dealer. He was found dead outside his cabin on the roadside. He too was sitting near some burning coals when he was attacked.
45-46, occupation not known. Found dead outside a tractor market on Rasulpur Chowk, around 100 metres from the Palwal City police station.
Panchwati Colony Agra Chowk
New Colony Adarsh Colony