Assaulted over payment of ₹90, Ghaziabad juice seller succumbs to injuries

The victim was identified as Gaurav Kashyap, a resident of Arthala. According to his family members, the three suspects, one of whom has been identified as Bobby, arrived at the deceased’s shop and ordered three glasses of lemonade.

A 27-year-old juice seller died of critical injuries after he was allegedly assaulted by three suspects who refused to pay ₹90 for the ‘shikhanji’ (lemonade) they purchased at his stall near River Hindon Metro station on Wednesday evening (April 27).

An FIR has been registered in the case, police said (Image used only for representation)

The police said that the man died on late Thursday night while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Raj Nagar and an FIR has been registered in the case.

The victim was identified as Gaurav Kashyap, a resident of Arthala. According to his family members, the three suspects, one of whom has been identified as Bobby, arrived at the deceased’s shop and ordered three glasses of lemonade.

“After consuming the lemonade, my nephew asked for the payment, but they refused. This led to an altercation and the three men assaulted him and escaped in an e-rickshaw. He chased them and caught hold of the e-rickshaw, but was dragged for about a kilometre after which the vehicle overturned on him and he sustained serious injuries. The three suspects fled and he was rushed to a hospital in Delhi and was later referred to a private hospital in Raj Nagar, Ghaziabad,” said Manoj Kashyap, Gaurav’s uncle.

The police said that the man succumbed to his injuries on Thursday night and they have registered an FIR under Section 325 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at Nandgram police station.

“I was also present at the shop when the incident took place. After the e-rickshaw overturned, the three men fled and we handed over the vehicle to the police. One of the suspects goes by the name Bobby, while we do not know the names of the other two men. We have informed the police and also registered a complaint. My nephew’s son died a couple of years ago and he was trying hard to earn his livelihood,” the victim’s uncle added.

The police said that the post-mortem of the victim was conducted on Friday afternoon and the results are awaited.

“The altercation took place when the victim asked for the payment from the three suspects. It has also come to light that the three men got him admitted to a hospital and also made some payments. The initial FIR was lodged under Section 325 and it will now be converted to Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder). An investigation is underway and we have formed several teams to nab the three suspects,” said Nipun Agarwal, superintendent of police (city 1).

The police said that they are trying to find the residential addresses of the three suspects but electronic surveillance has revealed that they hail from a locality near Sihani Chungi, adjacent to the Delhi Meerut Road.