18-yr-old auto driver murdered over ₹40 fare dispute, 2 held

Mahato quoted a fare of ₹140, but the two men allegedly said they had only ₹100. An argument broke out between them, police said

NAVI MUMBAI: A dispute over a ₹40 auto fare ended in the murder of an 18-year-old driver in Vashi early on Saturday, with two passengers allegedly attacking him with a sharp weapon before fleeing in his rickshaw, police said. The Navi Mumbai Crime Branch and Vashi police arrested the two suspects on Monday from Mankhurd after an eyewitness and CCTV footage helped investigators trace them.

18-yr-old auto driver murdered over ₹40 fare dispute, 2 held

The accused were identified as Sahil Ananda Surve, 20, and Sahil Yashwant Kharat, 20, both residents of Maharashtra Nagar in Mankhurd. They were traced and detained in the Mankhurd area, police said. Surve has a previous criminal record, according to police. He was booked by Trombay police in an attempt-to-murder case and was released on bail on October 7, 2025.

The deceased, Sujankumar Mahato, a resident of Ghansoli, had left home in his rickshaw on Friday evening to ferry passengers. At around 3.36am on August 29, the two accused allegedly boarded his rickshaw near Koparkhairane railway station and asked to be taken to Mankhurd.

Mahato quoted a fare of ₹140, but the two men allegedly said they had only ₹100. An argument broke out between them, police said.

The dispute escalated when the rickshaw reached the Hanuman Temple area in Sector 5, where the two men allegedly took out a sharp weapon, threatened Mahato and forced him to continue driving, according to police.

The rickshaw eventually reached the Mini Seashore Garden area near Fortis Hospital in Vashi. Mahato then received a call from another prospective passenger and told the two men that he had another fare. He allegedly asked them to get out of the rickshaw.

Police said another argument followed, during which the two accused allegedly attacked Mahato with a sharp weapon, striking him on the neck, head and hands.

“Mahato sustained serious injuries and died on the spot. The accused then fled the spot with his rickshaw,” police said.

A man who was out on a morning walk witnessed the attack and provided police with a crucial lead. Although the witness was too far away to identify the attackers, he described their clothing. “The entire incident was witnessed by a morning walker. However, due to the distance, the witness could only see the attire worn by the accused. Based on that description, we tracked their movements through CCTV footage,” said DCP (Crime) Bhausaheb Dhole.

Following the murder, separate teams from Crime Branch Unit 1, the Central Unit and Vashi police station were formed. Investigators examined CCTV footage from the crime scene and several locations along the route allegedly taken by the accused, while also developing information through confidential sources.

“Based on the technical analysis of CCTV footage and information received from our sources, we identified the two suspects and traced them to Mankhurd,” police said.

During interrogation, both accused allegedly admitted to their involvement in the crime, police said.