Gandhinagar: A night of birthday celebrations ended in tragedy near the Ambapur canal in Gandhinagar, when a 24-year-old man was fatally stabbed and his female friend seriously injured. Police suspect the attack occurred during a robbery and have launched a large-scale manhunt to apprehend the perpetrator.

According to authorities, the Gandhinagar police control room received an emergency call around 2:30 am on Saturday reporting an assault near the Narmada canal, close to Sardarnagar. Officers arriving at the scene found the body of Vaibhav, an Ahmedabad resident, with multiple stab wounds from a sharp-edged weapon. His friend, Aastha, was found semi-conscious nearby with serious injuries and was immediately taken to a civil hospital in Ahmedabad, where she underwent emergency surgery.

Vaibhav’s car was also found a short distance away on the canal bridge, suggesting the assailant may have abandoned it while attempting to flee.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) Piyush Vanda confirmed that the incident is being investigated as a robbery-cum-murder. “Our preliminary investigation suggests robbery as the motive. At this stage, there is no evidence of sexual assault. The injured woman is yet to be able to give her statement, which will be crucial to understanding the full sequence of events,” he said.

Eight dedicated police teams are currently working to track the suspect. A forensic team worked through the night at the crime scene, collecting biological samples and other evidence. Police are also reviewing CCTV footage from the area to trace the movements of the assailant before and after the attack.

Preliminary reports suggest that Vaibhav and Aastha had visited the canal road late at night following a birthday celebration. Investigators are reconstructing their movements to determine if they were specifically targeted or followed. DeshGujarat