A 30-year-old labourer was stabbed to death and another injured following an alleged quarrel over a matchbox near a DSIIDC liquor shop in northwest Delhi, police said. Two 19-year-old men and a juvenile have been apprehended in connection with the incident.
The incident took place on September 15 when the two labourers, identified as Bhawani, 30, and Asha Ram, 32, were allegedly approached by three youths who asked them for a matchbox to light a cigarette. According to police, an argument followed and the trio allegedly assaulted the two men.
Investigators alleged that one of the accused, Naresh Bahadur alias Nepalese, attacked the victims with a knife, while the other accused, identified as Tarun, and the juvenile allegedly assaulted them with their fists.
A PCR call alerting police to the stabbing was received at Keshav Puram police station. A police team reached the spot and found bloodstains on the footpath before rushing the injured men to Deep Chand Bandhu Hospital.
Bhawani was declared brought dead at the hospital. Police said he had suffered a deep stab wound to his back. Asha Ram sustained a stab injury to his lower chest and remains under treatment.
A case was registered under Sections 103(1) for murder and 109(1) for attempt to murder of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). An investigation was subsequently launched to identify and trace those allegedly involved in the attack.
Using local intelligence and technical surveillance, police identified the suspects and apprehended Naresh Bahadur and Tarun, along with a juvenile. Police said the knife allegedly used in the attack was recovered at the instance of Naresh Bahadur.
The circumstances leading to the confrontation are being investigated. While family members of the victims told mediapersons that the two men had stepped out for a walk, police said both were labourers who had gone to the area near the liquor shop before the incident.
