Vendor stabbed to death over delay in serving tea

LUCKNOW:A 65-year-old tea seller was murdered by a drunken youth over delay in serving tea in Lucknow’s Chowk area on Monday/Tuesday night.

The drug addict stabbed the tea seller multiple times on face, head and chest causing his death on the spot, said police.

The incident took place in front of several other roadside vendors and visitors near gate number 6 of the King George Medical University (KGMU), where the victim, Indrapal, used to run his tea stall for last 40 years.

Police said the accused demanded tea and got furious when the victim started attending other customers ignoring him. The victim’s two sons, however, believe that the drug addict was hired by somebody else to execute the crime, as some people were eyeing the space where the tea stall is located.

The stall was the only source of income of the victim’s family, including wife Vimla Devi and two sons Rakesh and Luvkush for past many years. His wife and son Rakesh helped him in running the stall while Luvkush is employed as roadways bus driver and stays separately along with his wife and kids.

One of the eyewitnesses, Munnu said the rickshaw puller, who was heavily drunk, approached the tea seller asking for a cup of tea and lay down on the road near the stall at around 1.30am on Tuesday. He said Indrapal asked the rickshaw puller to not to lie down near the stall and got busy attending other customers.

He said the rickshaw-puller entered into a brawl with the tea seller over the same issue. He said the police was immediately called and the rickshaw puller was chased away but he returned after 30 minutes holding a sharp knife in his hand and attacked the tea seller from behind.

“Before we could rescue the victim, the rickshaw puller stabbed him multiples times leaving him profusely bleeding. Later, he fled towards Rakabganj road,” he said and added, “We rushed him to KGMU hospital after informing the cops but he was declared brought dead”.

Jai Prakash Yadav, superintendent of police (West) said the police immediately launched the checking after getting information of the incident and arrested the accused from Rakabganj road. He said the accused was identified as Mohit Kashyap and the knife used in the crime was also recovered from him.

He said Kashyap confessed that the crime was held in a fit of rage but he is being further quizzed following the victim’s family allegations regarding conspiracy to grab the tea stall space.