Panvel: A trivial dispute over a staring provocation turned fatal in Kamothe on the afternoon of March 3, as a 23-year-old youth was brutally stabbed to death by two teenagers. The Kamothe police acted swiftly to nab the accused duo while they were attempting to flee the city.

The victim has been identified as Rahul Jayvindar Bumbak (23), a resident of Sector-14, Kamothe. The police have arrested Gaurav Satveer Pawar, alias Kalya (19), and Prem Prakash Petkar (19) in connection with the murder.

The gruesome incident occurred around 3:30 PM on March 3, near a Jamun tree close to the Gaodevi Temple in Sector-14. According to police sources, Rahul was sitting at the spot with a relative when the two accused approached him.

A heated argument broke out when Gaurav and Prem confronted Rahul, aggressively questioning him, "Why are you staring at us?" The verbal spat quickly escalated into a physical scuffle. In a coordinated attack, Prem allegedly pinned Rahul down, holding him firmly, while Gaurav pulled out a knife and stabbed Rahul repeatedly in the abdomen. The assault was so violent that the knife remained lodged in the victim's stomach. Rahul collapsed and died on the spot due to heavy internal bleeding.

Following the murder, the duo fled the scene, sparking panic in the locality. Upon receiving information, a team from the Kamothe Police Station rushed to the spot. Under the guidance of Senior Police Inspector Vimal Bidve, a technical surveillance and local intelligence team led by Assistant Police Inspector Ganesh Dalvi tracked the suspects.

"The accused were planning to escape the jurisdiction, but our team intercepted and arrested them within hours of the crime," API Dalvi Said. The murder weapon has been recovered and seized as evidence.

The Kamothe Police have registered a case against Gaurav Pawar and Prem Petkar under Sections 103(1) (Murder) and 3(5) (Common Intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Further investigation into the backgrounds of the accused is currently underway.