Sep 30 (Mumbai Mirror): Wielding swords, knives and iron rods, the group vandalised vehicles parked in Chembur's Ram Tekri area.

A group of youths wielding swords, knives and iron rods allegedly smashed windows and windshields of 21 vehicles parked in Chembur's Ram Tekri area around 3 am on Tuesday. While local residents say the mob comprised about 25 youths, the RCF police, who suspect old enmity between rival local groups to be the cause, say that only seven youths were involved. Four persons have been arrested and booked under various sections including rioting, while the police are hunting for the others.

The vehicles were parked along the road from Guru Nanak ground to a gurdwara. Ramsurat Gupta, whose auto's windshield had been damaged by the sharp weapons, told Mirror that some locals had witnessed the incident but were too scared to come out of their homes and stop the youths when they saw the weapons. "I earn a living by driving my auto and I've lost a day's wages because of this. I've been parking my auto here for the past 15 years and nothing like this has ever happened before," he said.

"A woman who witnessed the incident told me there were around 25 young boys. She said she heard one of them tell the others that if anyone was seen on the street, they should not be spared," Gupta added.

A witness, who did not wish to be named, said that one of the accused caught hold of a sweeper, placed a sword on his shoulder, and asked, "Where is Rahul?" To this the sweeper replied that he did not even know Rahul. According to the witness, that seemed to spark off the incident and the mob went on a rampage.

By Tuesday afternoon the RCF police arrested one Tejas Pinto who is in his early 20s. Later, three more arrests were made, all under Section 143 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), 149 (offence committed in prosecution of common object), 336 (endangering life or personal safety of others) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.

Senior Inspector Dilip Raut of the RCF Police Station told Mirror that a heated altercation between some youths had culminated in the incident. "The youths were under the influence of alcohol. We have managed to nab four of them and are on the lookout for the others," he said.

The police are also examining footage taken from a CCTV camera located near the gurdwara. There is another CCTV camera in the vicinity, but it is not functional.

Meanwhile, a panchnama has been done of the damage to the vehicles, and a report will be sent to the collector so that the owners can claim compensation.