Pune eatery owner attacked over ‘free soup with food’ offer, hospitalised

Mulayam Ramkrupal Pal’s competitors had asked him to discontinue his ‘free soup’ offer, saying it was affecting their business. When he refused to do so, they allegedly assaulted him with a knife, the police said.

An eatery owner was allegedly attacked with a sharp weapon on his head by his competitors following a spat over giving free soup along with food items to attract customers. (File)

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A 27-year-old eatery owner in Pune’s Khadki was allegedly attacked with a sharp weapon on his head by his competitors following a spat over giving free soup along with food items to attract customers, the police said.

While the incident took place in the Khadki Choupati area on Monday evening, the first information report was registered at Khadki police station on Tuesday. The police identified the victim as Mulayam Ramkrupal Pal.

Police officials said that Pal, who owns an eatery at Khadki Choupati, had recently started offering free soup along with food items to attract customers. Two of his competitors, identified as Siddharth Bhalerao and Digvijay Gajare, objected saying it was affecting their business. The two accused had been asking Pal to end the offer, but the latter continued with it, a police official said.

On Monday, around 5 pm, the duo and Pal had a fight after which they allegedly thrashed him and assaulted him on his head with a sharp knife. Pal sustained a deep wound and is being treated at a hospital, the police added.

“We have launched a search for the two suspects,” Senior Inspector Vishnu Tamhane, Khadki police station in-charge, said on Thursday.

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