Asked to pay Rs 5 for pakoras, two shoot at vendor in Bihar

PATNA: Is the humble ‘pakora’ costlier than a bullet? Two youths from Buxar district may agree because they chose to fire two costly bullets rather than pay Rs 5 for the local delicacy, leaving the pakora seller and his brother injured.
It all started on Monday evening when two youths refused to pay the paltry sum after having a plate of pakauras from a roadside vendor at a village in Buxar’s Naya Bhojpur area.An altercation followed, which was “settled” after the intervention of local residents.
But the two youths returned on Tuesday and shot the vendor, Kanhaiya Kesari (35), in the leg. His brother Pintu was also shot in the leg when he came to his brother’s rescue. Both were referred to PMCH in Patna.
The victims told police that they were fired upon by two youths—Chunnu Yadav and Golu Yadav, over Rs 5 for the pakaura they had eaten on Monday evening. “Each bullet costs something between Rs 100 and Rs 200. Thus, they spent around Rs 500 but refused to pay Rs 5 to the vendors,” Dumraon SDPO K K Singh told this newspaper over phone.
The SHO of Naya Bhojpur outpost, Rajiv Ranjan Rai, said the accused, stated to be in their early 20s, have no criminal records. “They are absconding after the incident. Raids are on but they are yet to be arrested,” the SHO added. The SHO attributed the spurt in crime in the area to easy availability of illegal weapons at throw away prices.