BENGALURU: A gang of four assaulted a street food vendor and his employee over bill payment on Sunday. They threw boiling oil on the owner of the eatery and his employee. The gang introduced themselves as rowdies, and warned the eatery’s owner that if he wants to run his business, he must give them free food.
The victims are Lakshminarayana (50), a resident of Janashakthinagar in Hosakerehalli, and his employee Ramesh (19). Lakshminarayana runs a roadside eatery at KEB Junction on Outer Ring Road. On September 29, at 5.30 am, the gang came on two bikes and ordered food. When they were done eating, they tried leaving without paying.
Lakshminarayana asked them to pay up, when the gang started abusing and threatening him. Lakshminarayana’s wife Malathi asked the miscreants not to create a ruckus, requesting them to pay.
“The bill amount was `420. When I tried telling the gang to pay their bill, they started assaulting my husband and Ramesh. Two of them took a vessel containing five litres of oil and threw it on my husband, some oil splashed on Ramesh too. Lakshminarayana sustained burns on his face, ears, back and hands. More than 30 people saw the assault, but no one helped,” Malathi said, adding that her husband tried chasing them as they escaped, but they managed to get away on their vehicles. Lakshminarayana was rushed to a nearby private hospital, where he is being treated.
Girinagar police rushed to the hospital and took a statement from Lakshminarayana. An investigating officer said, “Lakshminarayana is out of danger, but he needs time to recover. Ramesh has sustained minor burn injuries. We have taken up an attempt to murder case.”