NEW DELHI: A 21-year-old contractor, who converted containers into offices and homes, was stabbed to death while his brother and a friend were injured following a quarrel that broke out after he refused to give a bidi (a type of cheap cigarette made of unprocessed tobacco wrapped in leaves) in southeast Delhi’s Pul Prahaladpur, police said on Tuesday.
The incident took place on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday in J Block, Prem Nagar, near a public toilet. The Pul Prahaladpur police station received a PCR call regarding a stabbing at the location, a senior police officer said.
Upon reaching the spot, it was learnt that a quarrel had broken out between neighbours. The PCR caller, Shehzad, informed the police that the injured had been shifted to ESI Hospital in Okhla.
The investigating officer who reached the hospital found that Sohaib, a resident of J Block, Prem Nagar, had been declared dead. Sohaib worked as a contractor converting containers into offices and homes.
His elder brother Mohsin (23), a painter by profession, had also sustained stab wounds and was undergoing treatment, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Ravi Kumar Singh.
Sohaib’s body was shifted to the AIIMS mortuary for post-mortem.
According to the victims’ mother, who is an eyewitness, she was at home around 11 pm when her younger son Sohaib returned and told her that Munna and Sunny had slapped him in a nearby park after he refused to give them a bidi, the DCP said.
“She, along with her two sons, went to Munna’s house and questioned him about slapping her son. Munna became furious and Sunny and Imtiyaz also joined him. During the argument, Munna and Imtiyaz stabbed Sohaib, Mohsin and Akram multiple times,” said Singh.
Sohaib collapsed on the road after suffering serious injuries. His friend Akram sustained an injury to his left hand. Shehzad, Sohaib’s brother, alerted the police.
All the injured were taken to ESI Hospital, where Sohaib was declared brought dead. Mohsin, who was in critical condition, was later shifted to Safdarjung Hospital, the officer said.
A case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has been registered at Pul Prahaladpur police station, and all three accused have been arrested.
The accused have been identified as Firoz alias Munna (26), Imtiyaz (30), and Saudagar Khan alias Sunny (20), all residents of Prem Nagar. Munna works as a welder, Sunny is a two-wheeler mechanic, and Imtiyaz is unemployed. Two blood-stained knives were recovered at the instance of Munna and Imtiyaz, police added.