A 26-year-old man lost his life simply because he intervened in an argument between two drunk men and a snacks vendor late in the early hours of Monday morning. The two accused were identified and arrested by the Mumbai Police Crime Branch within 24 hours of the offence.
According to Crime Branch officers, the deceased, Nikhil Zore (26), had come with a friend at a snacks stall near the Huma Mall in Kanjurmarg when the incident occurred at around 12.30 a.m. on Monday.
"Two men, who were under the influence of alcohol, ordered snacks at the same stall and when asked to pay their bill, started threatening the vendor using abusive language. Zore intervened and asked the duo to stop creating a ruckus for no reason and they turned on him, stabbing him in the torso with a dagger," a Crime Branch officer said.
The accused fled the scene after stabbing Zore, who was rushed to the Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar, where he wad declared dead before admission. An FIR of murder against unidentified persons was subsequently registered with the Parksite police, and the Crime Branch Unit VII was instructed to conduct parallel inquiries into the matter.
"We viewed Closed Circuit Television footage of the incident and circulated stills of the accused among our informants, seeking any and all leads about their identities as well as whereabouts. After several hours of efforts, police constable Deepak Pawar received a single tip off according to which, two men corresponding to the description of the accused had also been seen threatening residents of the Mahatma Phule Nagar in Powai on Sunday night," an officer who was part of the investigation said.
A Unit VII team then visited the area, where they first viewed CCTV footage and confirmed that it was the same two men. They then made inquiries with local residents, and were told that the duo had been trying to intimidate the people over some petty reasons, but no complaint was filed over the matter. With the help of some of the residents, the police identified the accused as Nikhil Jadhav, a Bhandup resident and Nitesh Anubhule, a resident of Pant Nagar.
"We picked up both the accused from their residences and placed them under arrest. They have been handed over to the Parksite police for further inquiries," the officer said.
