Shop owner beats loader to death for stealing bag full of garlic

Owner of a vegetable shop in Mumbai arrested for beating a load carrier to death after catching him stealing a bag of garlic.

MUMBAI: The owner of a vegetable shop in Borivali market was arrested on Thursday for allegedly beating a 46-year-old load carrier to death after he was caught stealing a gunny bag full of garlic on Wednesday night.

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According to the police, at 6am on Thursday, they received a call from passersby near the MTNL Building in Borivali about a man lying motionless. On reaching the spot, the police found that a man was lying on the pavement, with blood coming out of his mouth. Assuming that he was assaulted, the victim was rushed to the Shatabdi Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.

On investigating, the police found his Aadhar card and identified him as Pankaj Mandal, 46. Mandal, a pavement dweller who worked in the vegetable market opposite the Borivali railway station as a load carrier. The police officers then registered a murder case against an unknown person.

When the police visited the vegetable market, they found out that around 9pm on Wednesday he was assaulted by his employer Ghanshyam Agri, 56, after he was caught stealing a gunny bag filled with garlic.

In the past few weeks, the rates of garlic have hit ₹400 per kg in some areas because of dwindling supplies.

On questioning, Agri confessed to assaulting the victim and leaving him injured on the pavement. Agri told the police that he had seen Mandal stumble out of the market with a gunny bag. Agri found out that he was trying to steal a gunny bag full of garlic from his shop and bashed him. After beating up the loader, Agri forced him out of the market, said a police officer.

He added that the homeless victim then slept on the pavement outside the market, where he used to sleep every day.

“We have booked Agri for murder under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code and arrested him,” said a police officer from Borivali police station.