21-year-old beaten to death following dispute over bursting firecrackers in Juhu

MUMBAI: Juhu police arrested two men and detained a juvenile (a child in conflict with the law) for allegedly beating a 19-year-old man to death following a dispute over firecracker use

MUMBAI: Juhu police arrested two men and detained a juvenile (a child in conflict with the law) for allegedly beating a 19-year-old man to death following a dispute over firecracker use. According to the preliminary investigation, the accused were triggered when the victim objected to firecrackers being set off near his two-wheeler.

Police identified the arrested accused as Rahul Santosh Mandal (23) and Ravikumar Sarvanan Devendra (22), both residents of Nehru Nagar in Vile Parle West. The victim was identified as 19-year-old Nanu alias Shubhankar Mukhiya, a resident of Juhu.

Mohit Kumar Garg, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone 9, said the incident occurred in the VM Road locality of Juhu on Lakshmi Puja when the accused were setting off fireworks by the roadside. The victim requested them not to burst crackers near his bike. The accused ignored his repeated pleas to stop, which led to an argument.

The situation soon escalated and the accused began beating Vivek. During the scuffle, one of the accused forcefully pushed Vivek to the ground. He sustained serious injuries from the impact and began bleeding profusely.

Local residents immediately rushed him to Cooper Hospital in Vile Parle. However, doctors declared him dead on arrival.

Police reached the spot after being alerted about the incident and later registered a case of murder. The complaint was filed by the victim’s friend, Vivek Singh, a 21-year-old resident of Juhu, who witnessed the assault and stated that the accused fled the scene on a vehicle after the victim collapsed. Based on CCTV footage, the police identified the assailants and arrested the two main suspects from the Nehru Nagar area and detained the juvenile.