Ajanta Group owner's attacker remanded in police custody

A former distributor of Ajanta Group, arrested for allegedly attacking and injuring the Gujarat-based company's owner over some business issue, was on Saturday remanded in police custody till February 9.

"The accused, Sandeep Mathuria (50) was produced in a local court which remanded him in police custody till February 9," Deepak Pawar, Senior Inspector of Worli police station, said.Jaisukh Patel (51), director of Ajanta Manufacturing that is into making clocks, textiles, transport, construction equipment and machinery, was stabbed with a sharp paper cutter by Mathuria on Friday in Worli. His aide Paras Goyal was also injured in the assault. Mathuria was subsequently arrested.Patel, who suffered injuries on his jaw, throat and scalp, is undergoing treatment at Jaslok Hospital, a private multi-speciality hospital in Girgaon, police said."Patel, who stays in Gujarat, is out of danger," Pawar said. "However, he is still not in a position to talk. So we are yet to record his statement."Pawar said the accused used to be a distributor of Ajanta clocks but his contract was revoked due to several reasons, including pending dues."Mathuria, a resident of Nagpur, had been requesting for restoration of distributorship, but Patel did not pay any heed to his requests," the Inspector.However, on Mathuria's request, Patel, who was in the city to take part in an exhibition related to his company, agreed to meet him. It was after the meeting that Mathuria attacked Patel when the latter was getting into a car."Mathuria said he was drunk. We have sent his blood samples for medical examination and a report is awaited," Pawar said. The accused has been booked under IPC sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means).