New Delhi, April 9 A road rage incident took a fatal turn when a 27-year-old factory worker was chased and stabbed multiple times inside a public toilet in Ashok Vihar, a northwestern Delhi area, police said on Thursday.
According to police, the incident occurred on Wednesday night, when witnesses saw the victim, Santosh Kumar, running into a public toilet in a desperate attempt to save his life, with his attackers close behind.
"A PCR call was received at 6:23 pm on April 8 regarding a man being stabbed inside the premises of a Sulabh toilet located in the Wazirpur Industrial Area fish market," a senior police officer said.
A police team rushed to the scene and found the victim lying in a pool of blood inside the toilet. The victim, originally from Nepal, was residing in the Macchi Market area, the official said.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the incident stemmed from an altercation between the victim and a motorcycle rider. The verbal argument soon escalated into a physical scuffle, during which the accused, along with an associate, allegedly attacked Santosh with a knife.
Police sources said that in a desperate attempt to save himself, the injured victim ran towards the nearby public toilet and tried to close the door from inside. Eyewitness accounts suggest that he tried to take refuge inside the public toilet and shut the door to prevent his attackers from entering. However, he was chased down, overpowered, and stabbed multiple times.
Santosh collapsed on the spot, where he later succumbed to his injuries, police said.
A case under sections 103(1) (murder) and 3(5) (common intentions) was registered at the Ashok Vihar police station, and an investigation was launched.
During the investigation, police arrested one accused, identified as Tanish (19), a resident of CSA Colony in Macchi Market, and apprehended a juvenile allegedly involved in the incident.
Police said the motorcycle used by the accused, which they had abandoned while fleeing after the attack, was recovered near the crime scene.
Family members and acquaintances of the deceased expressed shock over the killing. Santosh's uncle, who reached the spot after being informed, recounted the scene.
"When I came here, I saw him lying on the floor, dead. I noticed that he had been stabbed twice. I am not aware of what exactly happened. He was just 27 years old and used to work in a steel company with me. I don't know how many people were involved in the attack. We are from Nepal, and I have been working here for 15 years. I think he was stabbed outside and later came inside the toilet to save himself. There was a bike outside which I think belonged to the attackers," he said.
Police said the motive behind the crime appears to be road rage – a sudden and heated altercation on the road that spiraled into a violent assault resulting in the victim's death.
Efforts are underway to identify and apprehend any other persons involved in the attack. Police teams are analysing CCTV footage from the surrounding area and examining local witnesses to piece together the sequence of events.
