For allegedly staring at one of them, a 28-year-old man was killed by three in Mumbai.

After a disagreement over his looking at one of them in Mumbai, a 28-year-old man was allegedly slain by three people, a police officer said on Monday.

At the time of the event, which happened early on Sunday morning at a restaurant in the Matunga district, the deceased, Ronit Bhalekar, a contact centre employee, was intoxicated and with a companion. Later, he added, the three accused were taken into custody.

With the three accused of looking at one of them, Bhalekar got into a fight. The accused allegedly continued to attack him by repeatedly punching him, kicking him in the chest and stomach, hurling insults, and pushing him to the ground twice, the official claimed.

The man immediately passed out. He was taken to a civic-run hospital where, according to the official, he was pronounced dead before being admitted.

According to the official, the Shahu Nagar police later detained the three suspects and filed a complaint against them under Indian Penal Code Sections 302 (murder), 323, 324 (voluntarily causing harm), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 34 (acts done by several people in furtherance of common intention).

The defendants were presented on Sunday before a local court, which sentenced them to three days in police custody.