After warning, drunk stabs friends for teasing him

It began as innocuous teasing. It ended in murder.

Bibvewadi resident Upendra Prajapati (25) had to pay with his life on Tuesday night, for making fun of his friend Pappusingh Rathod.

Peeved at the constant teasing, and unable to take any more of it, Rathod allegedly knifed Prajapati in the chest several times.

Officials at Sahakarnagar police station said that around 11.30 pm, Prajapati was having dinner with a cousin and two of his friends at their residence in Super Indiranagar.

"That's when Rathod, who was under the influence of alcohol, happened to come there. He told Prajapati that he had had too much of his constant taunting and warned him to stop teasing him henceforth," said Senior Police Inspector Bajirao Bhosale.

Continuing with his drunken rambling, Rathod told Prajapati that he would murder him if he ever taunted at him in future.

"Given Rathod's drunken stupor, Prajapati jocularly dared him to go ahead an kill him. The drunk Rathod pushed a knife into Prajapti, injuring him grievously and fled from the spot," said Bhosale.

Prajapati's friends have told the police that Rathod often used to make fun of Prajapati and that Rathod had advised often, in the past, warned Prajapati about this.

Prajapati was declared dead on admission to Sassoon Hospital yesterday. "The victim had been stabbed in the chest multiple times," said the casualty medical officer. "Loss of excessive blood might have led to his death."

"Rathod is absconding. We are on the lookout for him," said Bhosale.