20-year-old man killed over bursting of crackers in Mumbai; five held

Mumbai: A 20-year-old man was stabbed to death after two groups clashed over the bursting of firecrackers in central Mumbai in the early hours of Friday, following which police arrested five persons, including a woman, an official said.

Vivek Gupta lost his life during the confrontation in the Antop Hill area, he said. Five individuals have been taken into custody in connection with the murder and a search is underway to track down more accused, the official said. It all started when a group of residents was bursting crackers in a narrow lane at Jai Maharashtra Nagar in Kokri Agar post-midnight on Thursday. Accused Kartik R Mohan Devendra, who was passing by on a two-wheeler, asked the group to move to a secluded spot instead, the official said citing the FIR. However, he was allegedly thrashed by some members of the group. Devendra then left the spot. After some time, Devendra returned to the lane with his wife, brother and a few more people carrying wooden sticks and cricket bats and the two groups soon got into a heated exchange. Amid the commotion, one of those setting off the firecrackers pulled out a knife, the official said. As the fight continued, the weapon slipped from his hand and fell to the ground. One Raj Putti, who had accompanied Devendra, picked up the sharp weapon and repeatedly stabbed Gupta.

After being alerted by locals, police reached the scene and took Gupta to a civic-run hospital, where he died during treatment, the official said.

Police detained from the spot five persons, identified as Kartik R Mohan Devendra, Kartik Kumar Devendra, Vicky Muttu Devendra, Miniappan Ravi Devendra and Kartik's wife, the official said, adding that police are looking for more accused.

The Antop Hill police registered a case for murder and other charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and placed the five persons under arrest after their interrogation, he said. Police are trying to nab the additional accused with the help of technical analysis and footage from CCTV cameras installed in the area, he said.