Man, 31, hacked to death at Nagpur's Medical Square; brother-in-law and three others accused

A 31-year-old man was murdered at Medical Square, under Ajni police station limits in Nagpur, on Thursday night. His brother-in-law and three associates are accused of carrying out the killing. The incident, in a crowded area, caused panic among people.

The deceased has been identified as Palash alias Ganni Prakash Wasnik, a resident of Ramabagh. According to preliminary information, Palash was passing through Medical Square at around 10.30 pm on Thursday when his brother-in-law, identified as Ayush Dhupe, arrived with three associates and stopped him.

It is said that the two had an argument over some matter, and within moments it turned violent. The accused allegedly attacked Palash repeatedly with sharp weapons and then fled. Palash suffered multiple injuries and died on the spot.

A large crowd gathered at one of Nagpur's busy intersections after the murder. On receiving information, senior police officers, including DCP Deepak Agrawal, DCP Rashmita Rao and ACP Narendra Hivre, reached the spot with teams from Ajni and Hudkeshwar police stations. A forensic team was also called to collect evidence.

Police personnel had considerable difficulty handling the crowd. The situation was then brought under control. The body was sent for post-mortem.

According to police sources, Palash Wasnik had been involved in criminal activity for about ten years and had several cases registered against him. He is said to have faced charges including attempt to murder, robbery, extortion, rioting, assault, theft and preparing to commit dacoity. Cases were registered against him at the Imamwada, Ajni, Hudkeshwar and Savner police stations.

Police had taken preventive action against him several times. During the tenure of the then Police Commissioner Ravindra Kumar Singal, he was first booked under the Maharashtra Prevention of Dangerous Activities Act (MPDA). He was subsequently booked under the MPDA again in 2016, 2017 and 2019.

It is said that he stayed away from crime for some time but later became active again. In October 2025, police began MPDA action against him for the fourth time.

Ajni police have registered a murder case against the accused and begun an investigation. Efforts are on to trace and arrest Ayush Dhupe and his three associates.