Man killed by family of seven after quarrel over ₹100 in Sadar Bazar

The seven members allegedly involved in the crime included a couple, their three daughters and son -- all four are minors – and a woman relative.

A quarrel over ₹100 cost a 21-year-old man his life after he was allegedly thrashed by a family of seven, including four minor siblings, and then slashed to death in north Delhi’s Sadar Bazar in the early hours of Tuesday, the police said.

The victim, Manish Charan, lived with his mother and five siblings in Motia Khan neighbourhood of Sadar Bazar. (Sanchit Khanna/HT PHOTO)

The seven members allegedly involved in the crime included a couple, their three daughters and son -- all four are minors – and a woman relative. All the adults have been arrested while the minors have been apprehended, said a senior police officer. Since the family allegedly involved in the murder includes minors, HT is not revealing their details as that could help identify the children.

The victim, Manish Charan, lived with his mother and five siblings in Motia Khan neighbourhood of Sadar Bazar. His father died a few years ago and Charan, a courier delivery agent, was the primary earning member of the family.

According to police, the problem began around 11 pm on Sunday when a man from their neighbourhood visited Charan’s mother, Geeta, with a ₹500 note and requested change. “I gave him a 200 rupee note and three 100 rupee notes,” said Geeta, a 60-year-old homemaker.

Minutes later, the man returned to complain that Geeta had not given him the full change. “It could be possible that one of the currency notes was stained with Holi colours, but I am sure I gave him the full ₹500 in loose currency,” said Geeta.

But the man was unwilling to believe her. “He insisted that he was paid ₹100 less and demanded the money,” said a senior police officer.

Geeta stood her ground and the argument soon turned into a quarrel involving both families. Charan tried to defend his mother while the man’s wife, four minor children and a woman relative came to his defence.

“The family manhandled my son, but neighbours intervened to separate them,” said Geeta. But by then, Charan happened to be in the centre of the quarrel.

Though the quarrel ended then, the seven-member family returned a little after midnight on Tuesday to raise the issue again. “They barged into our house and pulled Charan out. They then kicked and punched my brother,” said the victim’s sister, Sarika.

In the melee, the accused family allegedly got a meat cleaver from their home and slashed Charan. He sustained a deep wound in the thigh and started bleeding profusely even as the suspect family fled the spot. “After looking around for an auto-rickshaw for several minutes, we finally found a three-wheeler to take my son to Lady Hardinge Hospital where he died during treatment,” said Geeta.

The police, meanwhile, learnt of the incident and reached the hospital, but Charan had died by then. They went on to register a case of murder and house trespass at Sadar Bazar police station.

Anto Alphonse, deputy commissioner of police (north), said police quickly arrested the three adults and apprehended the four minor siblings for the murder.

Last year, there were 472 murders in Delhi. Forty-four per cent of them were over enmity or disputes, while 21% were the result of sudden provocations and “trivial issues”. Almost 90% of the 472 were solved, the police said.