Pimpri: A 22-year-old employee of WNS, a business process management company in Viman Nagar, succumbed to injuries on Saturday morning after he was assaulted by a group of youths in Pimpri on Thursday midnight while he was returning home in the company bus.

The deceased has been identified as Manjeet Motilal Prasad, a native of Siwan in Bihar, who resided here in Kalewadi.
 
Based on a complaint by the bus driver, the Pimpri-Chinchwad police have arrested three persons till now. More arrests are expected, officials said.

As per police, the incident took place on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday. Mohan Sambhaji Devkate (25) of Chandan Nagar was ferrying employees of WNS in Viman Nagar to their homes. 

“As we reached Deluxe Chowk in Pimpri after midnight, the youths, who were on bike, overtook the bus and signalled me to stop. As I stopped, they started abusing me. Prasad asked them kya ho gaya (What happened)? One of them slapped him. Prasad got down and asked them why they slapped him. The accused persons kicked and punched him. They also assaulted him with choppers,” Devkate stated in his FIR registered with the Pimpri police. 

The arrested accused have been identified as Dharmesh Shamkant Patil, Yashwant alias Anil Laxman Gaikwad, both residents of Gokuldham Housing Society in Pimpri, and Swapnil Sanjay Kamble (25) of Adarshnagar, Pimpri. Initially, police had charged them for offence under section 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code. After Prasad died, police have invoked section 302 (murder) against them.

Prasad had studied BCS and worked as associate with WNS. His family hails from Bihar. He is survived by parents and a sister, who is married. 

City Police Commissioner K Venkatesham had announced various initatives to tackle the issue.