2 stabbed to death after midnight tea stall tiff in Surat, 4 arrested

SURAT: A late-night quarrel at a tea stall in the Singanpor area escalated into a double murder, with two friends being stabbed to death in the early hours of Sunday. Singanpor police arrested four accused within hours of the incident.

The deceased were identified as Harshil Patil (23) and Bhatti Mali (24). The incident took place near Mogul Tea Stall close to the Dabholi BRTS bus stop.

According to police, Patil and Mali reached tea stall around 12.30 am. Although the stall was closed, they allegedly persuaded the owner to open the shutter so they could buy tea and mava after noticing people inside the shop.

Police said four men — Rahul Kauchat (31), Tejas Shah (31), Akshay Walekar (30) and Pinkesh Walekar (33) — were playing carrom inside the stall at the time. A heated argument soon broke out between the two groups, reportedly after they exchanged glances and began confronting each other.

After the initial argument, Patil and Mali left the tea stall and headed towards the Rander area. However, the dispute did not end there. According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Alok Kumar, the duo returned to the tea stall around 1.30 am and got into another confrontation with the accused.

Kumar said the dispute soon turned violent, during which both men were stabbed. The injured men were rushed to a hospital, where they succumbed to their injuries during treatment.

Police inspector PM Chaudhary said all four accused were arrested within hours of the incident and booked for murder. He added that investigators are trying to ascertain whether any other persons were involved in the crime and are also verifying the criminal antecedents of the accused.

Following the incident, Singanpor police launched a search operation and arrested all four accused within hours. Police inspector P M Chaudhary said the accused have been booked for murder. He added that investigators are probing whether any other persons were involved in the crime and are also verifying the criminal antecedents of the accused.