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NEW DELHI: Delhi’s short fuse reared its ugly head once again on Saturday night when an argument over something as trivial as cigarettes led to death of a 29-year-old man and left his younger brother battling for life.

The incident took place in north Delhi’s Vijay Vihar. DCP (Rohini) Rajneesh Gupta confirmed the incident. The victim was identified as Rahul. His brother, Navin, is currently under medical observation and a case under IPC sections of murder (302), attempt to murder (307) and sections of arms Act has been registered.

The prime accused, Nitin (20), has been arrested.

Police said the brothers, who worked for a private firm in south Delhi, had gone to a friend’s house in Vijay Vihar for a birthday party. Around midnight, police said, the brothers came out looking for cigarettes. They came across a few men sitting on a pavement who were allegedly drunk . The duo asked one of the men, later identified as Nitin, about where they could buy a pack of cigarettes.

Something that Nitin said led to an argument and things soon turned ugly, police said. Nitin, along with his friends, then allegedly stabbed Rahul and Navin in the chest before fleeing. The two were spotted by locals and taken to a nearby hospital. Rahul, however, succumbed to his injuries. A forensic team was sent to the crime scene and further investigations were on, an officer said.

Police said the CCTV footage from the area was scanned and Nitin was identified as the prime suspect. His family members were asked about his whereabouts, but they claimed to have no knowledge about where he was.

The information was shared with local informers and based on a tip-off from them, police conducted raids and arrested Nitin and a few of his friends. Police said Nitin was unemployed. They have sent his blood sample to test for alcohol levels.

