MUMBAI: Alok Kumar Singh, a Mumbai college professor who was allegedly stabbed to death by a commuter following an argument over alighting from a local train at Malad station, had planned to go out for dinner with his wife to celebrate her birthday, police said on Sunday.
Amid widespread outrage, the Government Railway Police (GRP) arrested the 27-year-old accused, a metal-polishing labourer, within 12 hours of the crime under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). He was remanded to police custody for five days.
According to the Borivali GRP, the accused, Omkar Shinde, was apprehended from the Kurar area of the western suburbs in connection with the murder that took place on Saturday evening.
Police said a minor argument between Singh (33), a professor at NM College in Vile Parle, and Shinde while they were alighting from a local train escalated into a brutal attack. Singh had left the college shortly after working hours on Saturday and told his colleagues that he was heading out for dinner. He was travelling towards Kandivali when the incident occurred around 5:40 pm.
According to police, Singh’s father, Anil Kumar Singh, is part of the security detail of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
The senior Singh was in Delhi for Republic Day parade preparations when he was informed about his son’s death, a police official said.
Originally from Uttar Pradesh, Anil Kumar Singh had served in various parts of the country as part of the Defence Minister’s security cover, the official added.
After stabbing Alok Kumar Singh on platform number 1, the accused fled the scene, leaving the victim in a pool of blood. Singh was rushed to a hospital, where he was declared dead.
Police said the accused took advantage of the crowd to escape but was later identified and arrested with the help of CCTV footage.
The murder weapon has not yet been recovered, police added.