NEW DELHI: A minor dispute over a “bidi” turned fatal in east Delhi’s Pandav Nagar area, where a 28-year-old man was allegedly beaten to death with a wooden stick by a barber in the early hours of Wednesday, police said. According to police, information was received around 1.24 am about a man lying in an injured condition near the Shashi Garden bus stand close to the Hanuman temple.
A police team rushed to the spot and reached near shanty number 248 in Shashi Garden, where blood was found scattered on the ground.
During the initial inquiry, police learnt that the injured man had already been shifted to Lal Bahadur Shastri (LBS) Hospital by a PCR van. When officers reached the hospital, the victim was declared brought dead by doctors. The deceased was identified as Deepak, a resident of Jawahar Mohalla in Shashi Garden.
Police said he had visible injury and bruise marks on his forehead, around the right eye and on the face. The body was subsequently shifted to the LBS Hospital mortuary for post-mortem examination. Police said no eyewitnesses were found either at the crime scene or at the hospital. The crime team and the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team were called to inspect the spot and collect evidence.
A case under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) was registered at Pandav Nagar police station, following which an investigation was launched.
During the probe, the accused, Manoj (32), a barber by profession and a resident of Jawahar Mohalla in Shashi Garden, was identified and arrested. During questioning, Manoj allegedly told police that he had an altercation with Deepak over a trivial issue related to a “bidi”. The argument escalated into a scuffle during which the victim allegedly threatened him and caught him by the neck. In a fit of rage, the accused picked up a wooden stick lying nearby and struck Deepak repeatedly on the head, causing him to collapse.