ALAPPUZHA: A 25-year-old man was hit with a beer bottle on his head and later ploughed over by a car at Kayamkulam near here late on Tuesday night. The deceased has been identified as Shameer Khan.
Sub-inspector K Sunumon said that the incident took place at 11.30 PM near a bar on National Highway 66. "An altercation ensued between two groups who reached the bar to purchase liquor. One of them hit Shameer on his head and he fell on the road. The gang also ran their car over him killing him on the spot. Twenty-one-year-old Shiyas has been taken into custody," the SI said.
Shameer had come home a week back after his marriage was fixed for September 8. On Tuesday night, he was out with his friends for a pre-wedding get-together. After the liquor was finished, he approached the bartender to get more alcohol. However, by this time the bar was shut and the security guard was selling alcohol at a higher price to people known to him. When Shameer approached him, the guard refused to sell him the liquor.
At the same time, another person identified as Shiyas was drinking beer with his friends Ajmal and Sahil sitting in his car. The three approached the guard to buy more alcohol which led to an argument between the two groups.
A while later, some more friends of Shameer joined him. When Shiyas and his group were trying to escape, Shameer and his friends tried to block their vehicle. This provoked them and Shiyas hit Shameer with a beer bottle and ran over their car on him, police said.
In the melee, the number plate of the car had fallen on the site of the crime which helped the police to trace the vehicle. The police reached the spot after identifying the car and confiscated it from Kilimanoor in the wee hours of Wednesday.
The car, which was rented by the attackers, is owned by a native of Eruava, police said.
Both gangs had three members each and Shiyas is the first accused who has been detained, while two others are still absconding.
Shiyas who has several cases against him registered in Kayamkulam police station was the one driving the car. The police suspect that gang rivalry might be the reason behind the incident.
Shameer's body was handed over to his relatives after a post-mortem at Alappuzha Medical College Hospital. The deceased is survived by his father Thajudeen, mother Nazima and brother Akbar Sha.