Youth kills vendor who didn’t give him chhole

Police identified the vendor as Kashiram, who hailed from Gwalior. His assailant, Gurmeet (22), fled the scene after the murder.

Police said Gurmeet has a criminal record, which includes cases of murder and chain-snatching.

Police said Kashiram was preparing his vending cart for the day while his helper had gone to fetch water. Gurmeet asked Kashiram for a plate of chhole-bhature.

Based on eyewitness accounts, police said Kashiram asked Gurmeet if he had money to pay him. Gurmeet said he didn’t and wanted a plate anyway. “Kashiram told him that he was just starting the day and after the first customer purchased a plate, he would serve Gurmeet a plate too. Kashiram asked Gurmeet to wait beside him until he got his first customer,” a police officer said.

Ramesh, an eyewitness, said, “I saw Kashiram talking to Gurmeet. I saw Gurmeet step aside and it looked as if he was going to walk away. Instead, he whipped out a knife and stabbed Kashiram. I screamed for help. By then Gurmeet had stabbed him many times.”

Ramesh said he along with two others — Dharmendra, a property dealer, and Kishan, a meat shop owner —  rushed to Kashiram’s help.

Gurmeet brandished the knife at them and and fled, police said. Residents called police and rushed Kashiram to Sanjay Gandhi Hospital, where he was declared brought dead. Police said Kashiram had at least five stab injuries.