The two men who killed 49-year-old Kapurchand Gupta needed alcohol to be able to execute the murder, the police said.

According to the police, Shivprasad Balgovind Kesari, 37, and Shivkumar Pathru Bharadwaj, 42, who were arrested from Nashik on Wednesday, had consumed a few bottles of beer before trailing the victim and eventually killing him.

"The accused, during their interrogation, said that they were very scared. They knew they wanted to kill Gupta, but could not muster the courage to. Assuming that alcohol increases aggression, they consumed a few bottles of beer and went to the spot at Mathura Das road where Gupta usually waited with his friends," said an officer from Kandivli police station, adding that the accused do not have any past criminal records.

"They are not hardened criminals. They worked as hawkers. So committing a murder required the extra impetus," he said.

The police said while Kesari stayed in Nalasopara with his wife and four children, Bharadwaj was a native of Ghaziabad and stayed in Mumbai for the past seven years.