Truck driver allegedly murdered by co-worker over caste dispute in Taloja

A 45-year-old truck driver was allegedly murdered with a sharp weapon by his co-worker on July 14, 2026, in the parking area of Nisha Transport at Nitlas in Taloja, Navi Mumbai. The incident, which occurred at around 5:30 AM, was reportedly the culmination of a long-standing caste-related family dispute between the two men.

The deceased has been identified as Chandan Kapilkumar Pandey, while the accused co-worker has been identified as 40-year-old Rameshkumar Swaminath Yadav. Both of the men were employed as drivers with Nisha Transport at Nitlas.

According to the Taloja Police, Pandey and Yadav hailed from the same village in Uttar Pradesh, where their families had been embroiled in a long-standing caste-related dispute. This hostility reportedly resurfaced on the night of July 13, 2026, when Pandey allegedly assaulted Yadav with a wooden stick in front of their co-workers.

Police stated that Yadav, nursing a grudge over the physical assault, allegedly attacked Pandey with a sharp weapon the following morning in the parking lot. Pandey sustained severe head injuries and collapsed, while Yadav fled the scene.

After being alerted to the incident, the Taloja Police rushed to the transport company's premises. Officers shifted Pandey to the Panvel Sub-District Hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.

The Taloja Police have registered a case of murder against Yadav under Sections 103(1) and 352 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

A police officer from the Taloja Police Station confirmed that a preliminary investigation indicates the murder was the fallout of a personal and caste-related rivalry between the two families, which escalated after the altercation on July 13. The police have launched a manhunt and deployed multiple teams to locate and arrest Yadav.