Cab driver hacked to death in drunken brawl

A 35-year-old cab driver was hacked to death over a drunken brawl in Hosa Guddadahalli on Mysuru Road in West Bengaluru on Saturday night.

The deceased Zabiulla was a resident of Bannerghatta Road. He had gone to a bar in Janatha Colony with his friend Waseem, a JJ Nagar-based goon. After a couple of drinks, Zabiulla and Waseem had heated arguments over a trivial row, which escalated to a physical assault. A few other customers at the bar intervened and pacified both, following which Zabiulla left the place and drove home. Waseem, who felt humiliated that Zabiulla came to his turf and had a fight with him, wanted to take revenge, the police said.

Later, Waseem, along with his associates, chased Zabiulla and intercepted his car on Mysuru Road. As Zabiulla tried to escape — getting out of the car and running for his life — he was chased and hacked to death, the police said.

Passersby rushed Zabiulla to a nearby hospital, where he was declared brought dead.

The Byatarayanapura police have taken up a case of murder and have formed two special teams to trace Waseem and his associates. “Waseem is a rowdy sheeter in JJ Nagar, and Zabiulla, too, had several cases pending against him,” a senior police officer said.