Merchant Navy sailor stabbed to death in drunken brawl

A 23-year-old man, working as a sailor in Merchant Navy, was stabbed to death in a drunken brawl with his friend in Malad (west) in the wee hours of Sunday. The deceased, Nityanand Mane alias Bunty, was on holiday for six months after work on the merchant vessel.

Malwani police have arrested the accused Rajesh Vaghate (32) and booked him under Section (302) of IPC.

"He (Bunty) had left home on Saturday at 6 pm and told his mother that he is going to attend a birthday party of his friend. Between 10 pm and 10:30pm, he called his mother and said he has been stabbed and the call got disconnected. We had been desperately trying to connect to him but his cell number was not reachable," Shailesh Chavan, maternal uncle of deceased, told The Free Press Journal.

A senior officer from Malwani police station said there were total four youth – including the deceased and accused – who had gone for a booze party at Marve sea beach in Malad (west) on Saturday night.

“All the friends – Mahesh Kelatkar alias Sunil, Rajesh Vaghate, Akash Mankar and Nityanand Mane – were pulling the leg of each other. At one point, the three friends started pulling the leg of Rajesh Vaghate, who allegedly got annoyed, slapped Mankar. When the duo were fighting, Mane intervened into the matter and cooled them off. Soon, Vaghate left the sea beach for his home,” said the officer from Malwani police station.

“After reaching home Vaghate called Mankar and asked him to come home. Since all the three friends were together at sea beach, so they decided to go together,” reads the FIR.

Seeing the trio, Vaghate shouted and started to chase them with a knife. While two of them managed to flee, Vaghate caught Bunty and stabbed him multiple times into his chest and lower abdomen,” the officer added.

The police further said, after stabbing Mane, the accused had called police control room and tried to misguide them that few men tried to forcefully enter his house.

The relatives of deceased alleged that Mankar and Sunil were also co-accused in the case. "It was not at all a birthday party. It was a planned murder. Mankar and Sunil should also be booked in the case," said maternal uncle of deceased.

He further said that the cell phone of deceased is missing and suspected that Vaghate has either destroyed it or kept it hidden somewhere.