Pani puri vendor pays for his life for Rs 5

Mumbai, Jan 31: A roadside 'Pani-Puri' seller paid for his life for a meagre amount of Rs five, which he demanded from a customer after the latter had a plate at his stall at Malad in the western suburbs here.

The police said the deceased Shivkumar Jawaharlal Gupta was selling Pani-Puri at a roadside near New Solan Industrial Estate in Malad.

The accused Salim Afghani alias Salim Akhatar Shaikh (28), after consuming a plate of 'Pani-Puri' on January 28, started to leave the place without paying Rs 5. When the deceased stopped him and asked him to pay, the accused took out a knife and brutally stabbed the pani puri vendor and fled the scene.

A beat marshal saw the vendor lying in a pool of blood and took him to Bhagwati hospital in an autorickshaw. On way to the hospital, Gupta narrated what had happened and told the beat marshal the name of accused person before he became unconscious.

On reaching the Bhagwati hospital, the doctors declared him dead before admission.

Police have arrested Shaikh and booked him under section 302 (murder) of Indian Penal Code (IPC), the sources added.

UNI