5 minutes of readingBombayUpdated: Feb 6, 2026 01:17 pm IST
At first glance it seems harmless. A thin stainless steel tweezers about six inches long with pointed tips, the type used for imitation jewelry work, electronics repair, or laboratory manipulation. It’s not something most people would consider a weapon.
However, this ordinary tool is at the center of the death of NM College professor Alok Kumar Singh, who was stabbed during an altercation in a Bombay local train last week. The case has left many readers wondering how something so small could cause a death.
Doctors and researchers say the answer lies not in the size of the object but in how and where it hit and what happened inside the body.
A wound that seemed small from the outside.
According to the police Singh was stabbed in the left side of the abdomen. while getting off a Borivali-bound train at Malad station. Officers say the injury appeared minor from the outside and there was little visible bleeding at the scene.
However, post-mortem findings showed that the clamp had penetrated deep into the body cutting through the skin muscles and abdominal lining before piercing the intestines and major blood vessels. About 2.5 liters of blood and clots were found inside the abdominal cavity, representing almost half of the total blood in an adult human body.
Doctors say this explains why the injury proved fatal despite the small external wound.
Can a clamp really cause death? Doctors explain
Medical experts say that a clamp is not a deadly object in normal use. It is a small tool intended for precision work. But when used forcefully and directed at a sensitive area, it can act as a sharp instrument.
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Dr Shailesh Mohite, dean of Topiwala National Medical College and Bai Yamunabai Laxman Nair Charitable Hospital and director of Medical Education and Greater Mumbai Municipal Corporation of Major Hospitals, said the amount of internal bleeding was enough to cause death.
“In this case, the injury has already proven to be fatal. The depth of 12.5 cm and the presence of approximately 2,500 cc of blood within the abdominal cavity is a huge amount sufficient to cause death due to hypovolemic shock. Survival in such cases depends on how quickly treatment is administered. Many patients with stab or gunshot wounds survive, but factors such as the site of injury, the extent of bleeding, the speed of hospital admission and the age of the patient play a role. A 12.5 cm deep wound is important This type of bleeding is usually the result of perforating blood vessels or important organs such as the liver or spleen.”
Dr Pramod Bhor, head of the Orthopedics Department at Medicover Hospital Navi Mumbai, said the direction of the injury made it especially dangerous.
“If the intestinal liver or deep blood vessels are injured, the result can be fatal. In this case, the wound is in the abdomen and is quite deep, almost reaching the back. This suggests that the victim was not very fat as the wound easily reached the muscles, internal organs and blood vessels. The posterior medial direction of the wound shows that it passed through the central abdominal region where the main blood vessels are located. Arterial bleeding means that those vessels were cut, resulting in massive blood loss, shock and death. With 2500 cc of blood and clots in the abdominal cavity, the injury was clearly catastrophic.”
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Why abdominal injuries are especially dangerous
Doctors say abdominal stab wounds can be misleading. Unlike injuries to the arms, legs, or head, heavy bleeding may not be visible right away. Blood may pool inside the abdomen while the person appears stable from the outside.
By the time symptoms clear up, the person may have already lost a large amount of blood, making survival dependent on immediate surgery and emergency care.
In Singh’s case, doctors say damage to blood vessels and intestines caused rapid internal bleeding that caused shock.
Why was the accused wearing the clamp?
The police say that Accused Omkar Shinde told investigators. that the clamp was not carried as a weapon. She stated that it was used for jewelry work and that it was kept in the shoulder bag she carried.
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According to police, the argument suddenly broke out in a crowded train compartment. Shinde allegedly felt insulted during the confrontation and angrily pulled out the clamp and stabbed Singh.
During interrogation, he reportedly told police that he only intended to poke Singh and did not realize that the injury could be fatal.
Investigators said the defendant threw the clamp off a pedestrian bridge while fleeing. It was later recovered from outside Malad railway station.
