Mumbai: A minor road incident turned into a full-blown violent assault in Mumbai’s Byculla area, resulting in the arrest of relatives of Yusuf Pathan, including his father-in-law.

According to police, the incident occurred two days ago when a resident, Yusuf Khan, was driving home.

His car passed through a pothole, splashing water onto Shoaib Khan, a relative of Pathan. Though Yusuf Khan reportedly stopped and apologised, the argument quickly escalated.

Shoaib allegedly reacted aggressively, abusing him, smashing his car’s windshield with a bamboo stick, and physically assaulting him on the spot. What followed was an even more violent confrontation.

As Yusuf Khan and his family set out to lodge a police complaint, they were intercepted by another group that included Khalid Khan, alias Makaliq, identified as Pathan’s father-in-law, along with his son Umarshad Khan and others.

Police said the accused allegedly surrounded the victims and launched a coordinated attack using bamboo sticks and baseball bats.

The assault left Yusuf Khan’s brother Salman with a fractured arm, while his uncle Zaki Ahmed suffered serious injuries.

Acting on CCTV footage, eyewitness accounts, and the recovery of the weapons used in the attack, the Mumbai Police registered a case and arrested three accused, including the father-in-law. One more accused remains absconding.

Officials told the court that the accused were clearly identified through CCTV visuals and witness statements, strengthening the case against them. They were produced before a court and remanded to judicial custody.

The Bhaykal police station in Mumbai arrested them under sections 118(2), 115(2), 324, 352, 351(2), and 3(5) of the IPC, and one person is absconding. 

The case has once again highlighted how a seemingly trivial trigger, a splash from a pothole, can spiral into a violent and dangerous confrontation on city streets.