22-year-old held from Bihar for Navi Mumbai fruit vendor’s murder

Khandeshwar police on Monday arrested a 22-year-old man from Bihar for allegedly murdering a fruit seller in Navi Mumbai over a petty argument on Sunday evening.

“The duo knew each other from a long time. It doesn’t seem like there was a motive behind the murder. The accused is a short-tempered person,” said an officer from Khandeshwar police station.

The accused, Mehboob Alam, used to sell coconut water before the lockdown. On Sunday afternoon, Alam called the victim, Saddam Shaikh, 31, and abused him over the phone and threatened him.

Shaikh then informed his two friends about the conversation and the three men went to Alam’s stall near Cidco garden in sector 11 around 6.00pm on Sunday. He told his friends that he will confront Alam about the conversation.

As the argument between the duo escalated, Alam attacked Shaikh with a knife on his chest and repeatedly stabbed him in the stomach, the police said.

The accused also attacked Shaikh’s friends and then managed to flee the spot. Shaikh’s friends then rushed him to MGM Hospital in Kamothe, where he succumbed to his injuries.

After the incident, Alam switched off his phone and took a train from Lokmanya Tilak Terminus and left for Patna to his relative’s house. The police was able to trace his location to Arrah station when he called his relative using a co-passenger’s phone.

On Monday, a police team from Khandeshwar, along with the railway protection force, took Alam into custody. He is booked for murder and a local court remanded him in police custody till August 3.