Fruit trader stabbed dead over parking row in Gurugram market

Police said the accused allegedly attacked the trader with an iron pick after an argument escalated into a violent clash.

A 55-year-old fruit trader was allegedly stabbed to death following an argument over parking space at Khandsa grain market in Gurugram on Sunday morning, police said.

Eyewitnesses told police the accused fled after repeatedly stabbing the victim inside Khandsa grain market on Sunday. (Getty Images)

The deceased, identified as Bharat Bhushan Banecha, was a fruit commission agent who had been operating in the market for several years. Police said another fruit trader, accused in the case, fled after the incident.

According to police, the incident took place around 5.30am in the Khandsa anaj mandi area under Shivaji Nagar police station limits when Banecha was parking a truck loaded with fruits near his shop.

Eyewitnesses told police that Banecha, owner of shop numbers 13 and 14, found boxes from neighbouring shop number 12 improperly placed in the parking space. When he asked the shopkeepers to remove the boxes, they allegedly called the accused, who owned the shop.

Police said the accused reached the spot and began shouting at Banecha, following which the argument escalated into a physical altercation. As several traders gathered to intervene, the accused allegedly picked up a iron pick from inside his shop and attacked Banecha, police citied

“The accused stabbed the trader multiple times in the chest and abdomen before fleeing the scene,” police said. Other traders rushed the injured man to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared him dead during treatment. The deceased’s elder brother sustained minor injuries during the fight. A video of the incident that surfaced on social media purportedly shows the two men arguing near a fruit-laden truck before the altercation turned violent.

“The accused is a history sheeter with multiple gambling cases registered against him,” the deceased’s brother claimed in his complaint.

An FIR under Section 103 (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was registered at Shivaji Nagar police station. A Gurugram Police official said eyewitness statements are being recorded and CCTV footage from nearby shops is being examined.