Maharashtra shocker: Father-son murdered by two brothers over loud music dispute

Around 2 am on Thursday, an argument broke out between the three brothers over loud music being played on the ground floor.

A 40-year-old man and his 14-year-old son were allegedly stabbed to death by the man’s two younger brothers in Vikhroli West on Thursday following a fight over a petty issue. The deceased man’s wife, younger son aged 10, and a neighbour were also injured in the incident.

According to the police, Sunil Vishwakarma stayed with his family on the first floor of the ground-plus-one structure in Rahul Nagar in Vikhroli West while his younger brothers, Suraj and Surendra, stayed on the ground floor with their families (Raju Shinde/HT Photo)

The Parksite police in Vikhroli West subsequently arrested Suraj and Surendra Vishwakarma, younger brothers of the deceased, Sunil Vishwakarma, and Surendra’s wife Preeti Vishwakarma under section 101 (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

According to the police, Sunil Vishwakarma stayed with his family on the first floor of the ground-plus-one structure in Rahul Nagar in Vikhroli West while his younger brothers, Suraj and Surendra, stayed on the ground floor with their families. Their eldest brother, Anil, resides in Nallasopara.

Sunil Vishwakarma was employed with the Wadala RTO and he renewed autorickshaw licences and permits. He had also purchased a car recently and enrolled with ride-hailing apps, said a police officer. Surendra Vishwakarma was a mobile phone repairer, while Suraj took up odd jobs.

“There was a long-standing property dispute among the three brothers. But their conflict intensified recently when their electricity supply was disconnected over dues worth ₹5,000," said a police officer who did not wish to be identified.

What happened?

Around 2 am on Thursday, an argument broke out between the three brothers over loud music being played on the ground floor.

“After Sunil went to the ground floor and asked his brothers’ family members to lower the volume, the argument escalated into a heated exchange. Eventually, Suraj and Surendra attacked Sunil with knives,” said the officer quoted earlier. “When Sunil’s son Shlok tried to intervene, he too was stabbed by the two accused.”

Pre-planned attack?

Investigators suspect the attack may have been pre-planned as Surendra’s wife Preeti Vishwakarma had bolted the main door to the house from outside. Surendra and Suraj also searched for Vivaan, Sunil’s younger son who was hiding inside the house, and attacked him while Sunil’s wife Anju was attacked outside the house.

“It was only when neighbours intervened and started pelting stones at the accused that they stopped the brutal attack. One of the neighbours, Madhav Magar, suffered stab injuries,” said the officer.

Anju’s brother Vicky Vishwakarma said she was undergoing treatment at Rajawadi hospital.

“It is a very sad incident. They (the three brothers) had been fighting for long, but we never thought they could go to such an extent. They brutally attacked everybody in my sister’s family,” he said.