A 24-year-old auto rickshaw driver was hacked to death by seven people over a chawl redevelopment dispute in Jogeshwari (East) on Tuesday night. The victim had refused to sign the consent papers for the redevelopment work over a few issues, which had stalled the progress of the work. The accused, therefore, planned to murder him, as the work had hit a dead end, said the police.

The deceased has been identified as Khijar Pasha, a resident of Radhabai Chawl in Jogeshwari (East). Following the gruesome murder, the Meghwadi police have managed to arrest six of the accused, while one of them is absconding. The arrested have been identified as Zameer Sheikh, Salman Sheikh, Raju Tanki, Mehmood Gulam, Hussain Shah, Irfan Sheikh. One Shafique Sheikh is on the run. Police said that three of the accused surrendered at the police station after the murder, while the others were arrested yesterday.