Mohammed Rafiq Vohra’s body lies next to his burning car. (AFP)

Vadodara, May 3: It was not unusual for Mohammed Rafiq Vohra, 38, to return home around 11.30 pm.

On any busy day, he would head out of his Kismet Colony bungalow around 8 am in a Tata Sierra and clock in 13-14 hours at the family’s oil transport business.

But Tuesday was not just any day. Rafiq, the father of two teenagers, got caught in a mob just half-a-km away from the exclusive housing society where his family was waiting for him to return from work.

The mob had been swelling for two-three hours and residents of Kismet Colony ? the 55 bungalows and flats are inhabited by successful professionals and businessmen from the Muslim community ? and the neighbouring Vohra Society ? as upscale, but with a religious mix ? had been calling police for help. But no help came.

When Rafiq arrived at Mahavir Char Rasta around 11.30 pm, there was a power cut in the area and the mob on Ajwa Road in the city’s east closed in around his car in dark. His brother Mohammad Adbul Gani Vohra spotted residents of a neighbouring housing complex in the crowd. Surrounded by thousands of people baying for his blood, Rafiq pressed the accelerator.

But the car went out of control, hit a road divider and turned upside down, witnesses said. Trapped, Rafiq was dragged out of the car by the mob and stabbed till he collapsed. Then, he was set on fire along with the car.

Chirag Sheikh, a former deputy mayor and an old friend of Rafiq, said the charred body lay on the road for 45 minutes before the police, who were being called repeatedly, finally arrived.

Vadodara police chief Deepak Swaroop said: “The mob took advantage of the darkness to attack the unsuspecting Vohra.”

Doctors who conducted the post-mortem at a civic hospital said the 38-year-old died of stab injuries. He is survived by his parents, two brothers, wife and a 13-year-old daughter and 14-year-old son. The family owns oil tankers, which are hired out to IOC and IPCL refineries.

Police said his younger brother Abdul was with Rafiq but managed to escape. Abdul, who was injured in the head, denied this and said he was hit by a stone when he rushed out to save his brother. Those who led the attack were from the neighbouring Ridhi Siddhi Society, he added.

Abdul has named 11 persons, including Ashok Thakker who, he says, is a VHP activist.

Additional police commissioner V.M. Pargi said the accused will be arrested soon. But the Vadodara police chief said the political affiliation of those named in the FIR is not known.

When Shivraj Patil called up minority leader Zuber Gopalani to convey his condolences, Gopalani found that the Union home minister was told by the local authorities that Rafiq had died in an accident. Officials are privately saying the businessman was attacked because he tried to run over the mob.

Residents of Ajwa Road, which had stayed peaceful during the 2002 riots, spent a sleepless night, reliving the horrors of the Gulbarg Society, Best Bakery and Naroda Patia massacres. Today, when a curfew was in place, some people tried to set ablaze the already-charred Tata Sierra.

Chief minister Narendra Modi visited the city today, after three days of violence and six deaths.