A minor dispute with Islamists cost Akshay Narvekar his life while his friend Akash Sable is in critical condition. Mulund Police arrested prime accused Imran and his brother Salim, along with three others, in connection with the murder.

Akshay Narvekar was a peon working in the Chief Minister’s office in Mantralaya. Akshay was fatally stabbed in an incident involving a dispute over money. Following the incident, police arrested Imran Mehmood Khan, Salim Mehmood Khan, Farooq Bagwan, Naushad Bagwan, and Abdul Bagwan, charging them with murder. They are currently held in police custody until 8 May. Akash Sable, who accompanied Akshay during the incident, was severely injured and is now in critical condition at a hospital in Sion.

The sequence of events leading to the tragedy began on 28 April. Akshay Narvekar and his friend Akash Sable bought chicken tandoori at Imran’s Chicken Centre in Thane’s Kisannagar. They had an altercation over payment as the victim didn’t have cash, although he eventually settled the payment via Google Pay. Later that evening, Narvekar and Sable visited another chicken centre in Mulund (West), owned by Salim Khan, brother of Imran Mehmood.

A confrontation ensued there with Imran present, escalating tensions. After leaving Mulund, Akshay and Akash were pursued by Salim and Imran to a bus stand in Thane’s Vaishali Nagar, where they were attacked with a mutton cleaver and an iron rod by the two accused along with three other persons. Akshay died at the scene, and Sable was left unconscious. Last reported, Akash Sable was in critical condition and was still under treatment.

An officer stated that the accused have been charged with murder, attempted murder, and criminal conspiracy. They appeared in court on Monday (29 April) and were ordered to be held in police custody.