delhi

Updated: Jun 22, 2020 18:51 IST

A 27-year-old madrasa teacher was beaten to death by at least two hawkers in north Delhi’s Kotwali area on Monday after an argument over the price of a pair of headphones. Family members, however, alleged that the man was thrashed by a group of people. Police said they have arrested the two men and efforts to identify others are being made.

The victim, Mohammad Ovais, was a resident of Shamli in Uttar Pradesh and taught in a madrasa in Greater Noida. At 10pm on Monday, the control room alerted the Kotwali police station about a man lying unconscious near the exit gate of Old Delhi Railway Station.

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“A police team from Kotwali police station rushed to the spot and took the man to Aruna Asaf Ali Hospital where the doctors pronounced him dead. Preliminary enquiry revealed that Ovais had a scuffle with Lallan and his aide, Ayub which may have led to his death,” said additional deputy commissioner of police (north) Harendra Singh.

Singh said eyewitnesses and locals said Ovais was buying a pair of headphones from one of the hawkers and while negotiating the price they had an argument. “They said the argument turned nasty and Lallan and Ayub both thrashed Ovais. During the fight, Ovaish collapsed and fell unconscious. The police have arrested both the men. A case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder has been registered against the two men under IPC section 304,” the officer said.

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Another police officer said that there were no signs of external injury on Ovais’s body. “His body was sent for an and was later handed over to his family,” said the officer who did not wish to be named.

He said, Ovais’s family alleged that more than two people assaulted him. “We are looking in to it. CCTV camera footage are being checked to find if others were involved,” the officer said.

Family members also told police that Ovais had fallen ill and had gone to the railway station to catch a train back home. “We identified Ovais with the help of his Aadhaar card and other documents. He was also found carrying some medicines,” he said.

The man is survived by his parents, four brothers and one sister, police said.

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