Mumbai Shiv Sena leader Ashok Sawant stabbed to death

Mumbai: Prominent Shiv Sena leader and former municipal corporator Ashok Sawant has been stabbed to death outside his residence by two unidentified assailants.

According to the police, Sawant had returned home from a meeting around 2300 hours when two persons who lay in wait, pounced on him with knives and choppers outside his house in Kandivali East on Sunday.

The 63-year-old leader suffered at least 17 wounds and reportedly succumbed outside his residence in Samata Nagar. A police team rushed him to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead on admission.

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Police have checked CCTV images in the locality and have identified one of the two killers. The preliminary motive behind the crime appeared to be extortion.

Parts of Kandivali east observed a spontaneous shutdown in memory of the slain two-time municipal corporator, who was currently a deputy Vibhag Pramukh.

Vinay Rathod, DCP, Zone 12, said that a case of murder has been registered against unknown persons. The body has been sent to Shatabdi Hospital for postmortem.

His funeral was slated later on Monday evening following the autopsy.