Delhi: Man stabbed to death for letting rat loose

A 25-year-old man was stabbed to death and his 21-year-old friend injured in northeast Delhi’s Gokulpuri on Wednesday when they got into a scuffle with neighbours over letting loose a rat they caught in their home.

A 25-year-old man was stabbed to death and his 21-year-old friend injured in northeast Delhi’s Gokulpuri on Wednesday when they got into a scuffle with neighbours over letting loose a rat they caught in their home.

Rizwan succumbed to his injuries after being stabbed by his neighbours. (Representative illustration)

Rizwan and Mohammad Ali apparently caught a rat in their house and were going to release it next to a drain in the area when they got into an argument with their neighbours who asked them to do it elsewhere.

The argument turned into a scuffle and the neighbours allegedly whipped out a knife and stabbed them. While Rizwan succumbed to his injuries, Ali sustained four stab wounds and is recuperating at the hospital.

“The duo reportedly released the rat next to the drain, but the neighbours opposed it saying that the rodent may enter their home and that they should release it elsewhere. The two families had several tiffs in the past. The two parties entered into an altercation which turned into a scuffle,” a senior police officer said.

“In the process, one of the neighbours took out a knife and stabbed Rizwan and Ali. While Rizwan was stabbed once, Ali was stabbed four times in the leg, hand and abdomen. Rizwan died of excessive bleeding,” he added.

Locals called up the police and both the injured were rushed to GTB Hospital, where Rizwan was declared brought dead and Ali was admitted, said the official.

The police registered a case of murder and started investigation. The accused have been absconding since the incident. “We have sent out teams to nab the accused and the arrests will be made soon. We have also recorded detailed statements of the eyewitnesses and are waiting for Ali to be fit for statement. The investigation in the matter is on,” police said.

Sources in the police said that the two parties had been involved in several scuffles in the past and were not on good terms. Police said that the rat incident was just a trigger.

Rizwan was a carpenter and lived with his parents and two younger brothers.