NEW DELHI, 31 JULY

A 28-year-old sales manager was allegedly stabbed to death while his friend was injured during a late-night brawl with a Momo vendor in east Delhi's Ghazipur area, a police official said on Thursday.

Three accused were arrested, and a juvenile was apprehended in connection with the incident, he said.

According to police, during a birthday celebration on Wednesday night, the deceased Vikas Walecha told his friends about a recent altercation he had with a Momo vendor, Salman. They then decided to confront him.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Abhishek Dhania said, "At around 10.30 pm, the group went to the Paper Market near the CNG pump in Ghazipur in three vehicles. On spotting Salman near a wine shop, they confronted him. Salman called his associates, and in the ensuing scuffle, Walecha was fatally stabbed while his friend Sumit Sharma sustained a leg fracture."

Both Vikas and Sumit worked at a private company in Sector 5, Noida.

"Vikas, a resident of NIT Sector 5 in Faridabad, was declared brought dead at LBS Hospital, where Sharma is currently undergoing treatment," the DCP said.

Based on a complaint filed by one of the victims, a case has been registered at the Ghazipur police station, and four people have been held in connection with the case, Dhania said.

The arrested accused have been identified as Salman Khan (24), Azad Mishra (31) and Monu Mishra (28), all residents of Khoda Colony in Ghaziabad. A 13-year-old juvenile was also apprehended, the DCP said.

Police have recovered a knife and an iron rod used in the attack from the possession of the accused.

"Multiple teams worked to identify and arrest the accused. They scanned CCTV footage to trace the attackers. Efforts are on to identify and apprehend others involved," he said.