RESTAURANT OWNER KILLED DURING FIGHT OVER DELAY
Suspects seem not to be connected with the restaurant or food delivery agents: Cops
GREATER NOIDA: A 38-year-old restaurant owner was shot dead at his outlet in Greater Noida late on Tuesday night, allegedly after a fight that broke out because a delivery order was taking longer than expected, police said.
The victim Sunil Agarwal, a resident of Dadri, ran a restaurant, Zam Zam, in Greater Noida. He was trying to resolve an argument with some food delivery agents when three men, all drunk and apparently unconnected with the restaurant or the delivery agents, opened fire and killed him. Three suspects have been arrested.
GREATER NOIDA: A 38-year-old restaurant owner was shot dead at his outlet in Greater Noida late on Tuesday night, allegedly after a fight that broke out because a delivery order was taking longer than expected, police said.
The victim Sunil Agarwal, a resident of Dadri, ran a restaurant, Zam Zam, at Mitra Enclave in Greater Noida. He was trying to resolve an argument with some food delivery agents when three men, all drunk and apparently unconnected with the restaurant or the delivery agents, opened fire and killed him.
Three suspects have been arrested for the crime.
According to additional deputy commissioner of police, Greater Noida, Vishal Pandey, 10 delivery agents were collecting 15 food orders at the restaurant at around 12:15am on Wednesday, when they had a disagreement with one of the restaurant’s workers , Narayan, setting off a chain of events that led to the Agarwal’s death.
“A Swiggy delivery boy was engaged in a heated argument with restaurant staff, Narayan, over a delay in food. When the restaurant owner Sunil Agarwal reached there to intervene, someone opened fire from outside the restaurant and the bullet hit Agarwal in the head,” Pandey said.
Ashwani Goel, a friend on the victim, said he was rushed to a private hospital where doctors declared him dead.
Pandey said police quizzed the delivery agents who were present at the spot but were yet to find any evidence of their involvement in the murder. A case was registered against unknown persons under Section 302 (murder) of IPC. “We questioned some eyewitnesses and restaurant staff to get an idea of suspects. We also scanned CCTV footage from neighbouring areas and identified a Hero Splendor motorcycle on which three suspects were seen fleeing from the spot,” he said.
News of the incident went viral on social media, where the incident was originally passed off as a killing caused by delayed order. Over the past several weeks, social media has been abuzz over the treatment of delivery agents by food delivery companies, and also unrealistic demands some place on the time it takes to make deliveries.
Abhishek, deputy commissioner of police, Greater Noida, said police launched a search and intercepted the three suspects near Zero Point on Yamuna Expressway on Wednesday afternoon. The suspects – Vikas Chaudhury, 26, Devendra, 24, and Sunil, 23, all residents of Anupshahr in Bulandshahr, were arrested.
Police suspect it was Chaudhury — who works as a contractor — who fired a shot from a pistol that killed Agarwal. Abhishek said that the suspects said they had no connection with the restaurant owner or the delivery agents.
“The three persons were heavily drunk at the time of the incident. One suspect, Sunil, has previously worked as a food delivery agent. The suspects live in a rented accommodation in Swarn Nagri, about 1km from the restaurant. At night, they had left home on a motorcycle and they were roaming around. On the way, they stopped near the restaurant where the delivery boys were standing,” he said.
Hearing the heated argument, the suspects inquired about the matter between the delivery agents and the staff. When the restaurant owner reached there, it appears that Chaudhury took out a gun and shot at the owner,” the DCP said.
The suspects returned to their room, and were planning to escape to Bulandshahr when they were arrested. Police have recovered a pistol, two countrymade guns, two live cartridges, and a motorcycle. Police said that charges under the Gangster Act will also be pressed in this case.
“What has been reported is very concerning,” a Swiggy spokesperson said. “All delivery partners on Swiggy are on-boarded for providing delivery services after a background verification which includes checking for any court cases or criminal antecedents, and are not disincentivised for any delays.”