Kochi | A 25-year-old man was stabbed to death by a three-member gang in front of his house at Kalamassery near here in the early hours of Thursday, police said.

According to the police, the deceased has been identified as Vivek, a native of Njarackkal, Kochi, who was residing at a rented house in Sundargiri, Kalamassery.

Police have arrested Sanoj, Prasad, and Joyal, who are from different parts of Kochi city, a police officer said.

The officer said that Vivek and the accused were friends and had a dispute over a financial transaction related to hiring Sanoj's vehicle.

On Wednesday evening, Sanoj and Prasad visited Vivek's house and left after a brief conversation. They later returned and stabbed Vivek, police said.

"The accused stabbed Vivek beneath his chest in front of his house using a dangerous weapon. He suffered serious injuries and was rushed to the Ernakulam Medical College in Kalamassery, where he died in the ICU while undergoing treatment," according to the FIR.

Kalamassery police registered a case under section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for murder and arrested the accused.

"Although the FIR, based on the statement of Vivek's father, was initially registered against Sanoj and Prasad, the probe revealed that Joyal was also at the crime scene," a police officer at Kalamassery police station said.

Police said the accused claimed there was a dispute over payment for a vehicle they had recently hired. Vivek had refused to pay the amount. "However, we have to interrogate the accused in detail to find the exact reason behind the murder," the officer said.

The body will be handed over to relatives after the postmortem at the medical college, he added.