Ludhiana: Stopped from picking sweet, customer, aide thrash shopkeeper; one arrested

The PAU police have arrested the main accused, identified as Prasthamjot Singh of Sandhu Colony of Sri Muktsar Sahib, while a search is on for his three accomplices

A dispute over eating a rasgulla without permission turned violent at a sweet shop in the Rishi Nagar area, when a customer thrashed the shop owner and his brother along with his accomplices after being stopped. The shopkeeper suffered severe head injuries in the clash.

Other customers and locals captured the incident on their mobile phones, which went viral on social networking sites within no time. (HT)

The PAU police have arrested the main accused, identified as Prasthamjot Singh of Sandhu Colony of Sri Muktsar Sahib, while a search is on for his three accomplices. Other customers and locals captured the incident on their mobile phones, which went viral on social networking sites within no time.

According to the complaint lodged by Mohit Gupta, 38, a Rishi Nagar resident who runs the sweet shop, Prathamjot Singh visited his shop on November 6 and picked up a rasgulla from the tray and started eating it without permission. When Gupta objected to his act, the accused indulged in a spat with him and started abusing him. The accused called his associates, who joined him in assaulting the complainant and his brother.

The complainant stated that the accused hit him with a blunt weapon and injured him. When his brother tried to intervene, the accused had thrashed him too. After the locals gathered there, the accused fled from the shop threatening them. He immediately alerted the police.

On the basis of the complaint, the PAU police registered an FIR against Prathamjot Singh, his aides Lovepreet Singh, Harpreet Singh and an unidentified person under Sections 109 (attempt to murder), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 118(1) (voluntarily causing hurt), 351(2) (criminal intimidation), 191(3) (aggravated offense of rioting while armed with a deadly weapon), 190 (Every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object) and 324(4) (mischief causing loss or damage) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

ASI Bhupinder Jaggi, the investigating officer, said Prathamjot Singh had been arrested and efforts were underway to apprehend the remaining accused.