Ghaziabad: 2 held over attacking man over refusal to sell ‘beedi’

Two men were arrested by Ghaziabad police on Thursday allegedly attacking a pan shop vendor and dragging his brother with their car after a dispute over a packet of “beedi” in Shalimar Garden late on February 16, officers aware of the case said.

According to police, the accused have been identified as Happy Kumar, 25, a resident of Baghpat, and Sunil Kumar, 35, from Bhojpur, Ghaziabad. A third suspect involved in the incident is absconding, and police have launched a search for him, they added.

According to police, the suspects arrived at the shop of Sanjit Patra and his elder brother Sanjay Patra in C Block, Shalimar Garden, around 11.30pm on February 16 in a Maruti car.

“Three men came in an Eeco car and asked for a packet of bidi. Since we were shutting down the shop, we refused. Upon this, they attacked me with sticks and injured my head. When they tried to flee, my elder brother chased them, but they hit him with their car, dragged him some distance, and tried to run him over. He suffered severe leg injuries and was saved by locals,” Sanjit Patra, a resident of Karawal Nagar, Delhi, stated in the FIR lodged at Shalimar Garden police station.

“Our teams scanned CCTV footage from the area and identified the car’s registration number. Two of the suspects were arrested on Thursday near the ESI hospital crossing, while the third is still absconding. We will arrest him soon,” said Saloni Agarwal, ACP, Shalimar Garden circle.

Following the complaint, police registered an FIR under sections 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt) and 109 (attempt to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, police said.