Delhi man ‘beaten to death’ by barber shop owner before teenage son over payment of Rs 20

Police said both accused, barber shop owner Saroj and his brother Santosh, have been arrested and sent to judicial custody for 14 days.

Kumar, a vegetable vendor, lived with his wife and their five children in Sant Nagar.

According to police, the incident came to light at around 11 pm when they received a call regarding a quarrel near Chaudhry Dairy in Sant Nagar.

Personnel of Burari police station rushed to the spot and came to know that the injured man was taken to Babu Jagjivan Ram Hospital by his brother Mukesh.

He was then referred to Safdarjung Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries during treatment on Friday.

On the basis of Mukesh’s statement, an FIR of murder was lodged. Mukesh alleged that Saroj and Santosh assaulted his brother with a plastic pipe,” said a senior police officer.

After allegedly attacking him, the accused assumed Kumar was dead and fled the spot. With the help of technical surveillance, police arrested them from where they were hiding in North Delhi.

Kumar’s wife Hemlata said, “After returning home on Thursday evening, my husband had gone to a nearby salon for a shave. The barber asked him to pay Rs 50. My husband gave him Rs 30 and said he would pay the rest by Friday, which led to a heated argument. They told him that he cannot go without paying Rs 20 and started beating him. My elder son was passing through the market and found his father was being attacked… he tried to intervene to rescue him but they pushed him. Onlookers were standing by but no one came to rescue my husband. My son then rushed to his uncle’s home and informed him about the incident.”

“I had asked him to have his dinner but he told me he would eat after shaving and bathing… We came to the city from Bihar’s Supaul around 15 years ago for a bright future for our children,” said Hemlata.