In a shocking incident in Surat, Dumas police have arrested six individuals, including two minors, for the murder of 26-year-old Stevon Ghantiwala on Tuesday night. The incident stemmed from an Instagram message that escalated into deadly violence.
According to police, the chain of events began when Dhruv Rathod (19) allegedly sent a message on Instagram to the girlfriend of Dev Khalasi. After Dev confronted him, one of Dhruv’s minor friends allegedly began threatening Dev, repeatedly calling him and demanding a face-to-face confrontation.
Around 10 PM, Dev and his friends—Stevon Ghantiwala, Robin Khalasi, and Vansh Khalasi—were at Teen Batti Chowk when they agreed to meet the accused near Langar Circle. When the four friends arrived, they were met by Dhruv Rathod, Ankit Rathod, Shravan Rathod, Shiv Rathod, and the two minors.
Stevon reportedly tried to defuse the situation, telling the minor to stop threatening Dev. Instead, the accused group launched an attack. In the ensuing violence, one of the minors stabbed Stevon in the neck with a bladed weapon, fatally wounding him. Robin, Dev, and Vansh were also injured in the attack.
The six attackers fled the scene. The injured victims were rushed to a private hospital by moped, but Stevon Ghantiwala succumbed to his injuries.
Dumas police confirmed that all six suspects have been booked for murder, and both minors have been taken into custody. The case has sparked concern over rising youth violence linked to online disputes.
