NRI businessman beaten to death

Ahmedabad, Jun 16 (UNI) US based Non-Resident Indian businessman Pankaj Trivedi (52) was brutally attacked and beaten to death by four unidentified persons outside Ellisbridge Gymkhana club in Ellisbridge area of the city last night, police said today.

The incident took place at around 2100 hours when Mr Trivedi emerged from the club and the four goons waiting in a Maruti car pounced on him with baseball bats and sticks, police said.

The club's security guard Ramesh Vishwakarma, who witnessed the incident, fled from the scene fearing being targetted by the goons.

According to the neighbours of Trivedi, who was staying in a bungalow at Satyagrah Chavni society in Satellite area, was associated with the socio-spiritual organisation -- Swadhyay Parivar -- the internal power politics of which was probably at the roots of the attack.

A high ranked police official said Trivedi was at loggerheads with a faction within the Swadhyay Parivar and police are examining this as a possible reason behind the attack on him.

Trivedi had migrated to Cincinnati, USA, nine years ago.

His wife and two children who are now in the USA have been informed about the incident by his brother-in-law Kirti Raval.

Trivedi was arrested by Rajkot police along with some others around Diwali festival last year after a scuffle between two groups of the Swadhyay Parivar. Police have recovered some documents relating to dispute between these factions from his car after the incident, police sources added.

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