Man stabs cousin to death after drunken spat over loan in Ghaziabad

Ghaziabad: A 40-year-old vegetable vendor was allegedly murdered by his cousin after a drinking session in Masuri on Monday afternoon. The victim, Gulfam, got into an argument with Arif over Rs 500, after which Arif stabbed Gulfam and fled the spot. He was arrested early on Tuesday morning.According to police, Gulfam lived in a rented house on Railway Station Road and ran a vegetable cart in the area. Around 3pm on Monday afternoon, he visited his cousin Arif outside SS Frozen Foods Meat Factory in Masuri, where the accused worked. The two planned on drinking alcohol together.As they were drinking together, an argument broke out between the two when Arif asked Gulfam for a cucumber. Arif told cops that Gulfam refused to give him the cucumber unless he returned Rs 500 that he borrowed from the other man.In an intoxicated state, Arif allegedly picked up a knife from Gulfam's vegetable cart and stabbed him twice in the chest before fleeing the scene. Passersby found Gulfam and called police, who brought him to the district hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.According to ACP Bhaskar Verma, Gulfam's wife registered a police complaint against Arif and an FIR was subsequently registered in the case under Section 103 (murder) of the BNS. Several teams were formed to trace the accused and Arif was arrested from the Masuri area during the early hours of Tuesday.“Police also recovered the weapon from the accused’s possession,” the ACP said, adding that both Gulfam and Arif had criminal histories.