Overview

• The attack unfolded late Monday outside Annapurna Dhaba in Bhoyna village, where three men attempted to stop an allegedly drunken group from ransacking the roadside eatery.
• The victims, identified as Alok Singh Thakur, Nitin Tandi and Suresh Hiyal, were fatally stabbed on the spot by the prime accused, 20-year-old Gopi Diwan.
• Police arrested five adult suspects, including Diwan, and placed them in judicial custody, while three minors were detained and sent to a correctional home under juvenile law.
• Investigators seized the knife used in the killings and invoked provisions for murder and unlawful assembly under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita as inquiries into the suspects’ prior records continue.
• In response to the violence, Dhamtari district authorities announced plans to intensify enforcement of alcohol restrictions at roadside dhabas.