Meerut: A teenage fruit vendor’s throat was slit by a group of people, including a man stated to be a local Samajwadi Party leader, at Sardhana area here when he asked them to pay for one kg guava they bought, police said today.
While the family of the victim, Saddam (18), alleged that one of the accused Anees Kureshi belongs to Samajwadi Party, district president of the party, Jaiveer Singh, denied that he was a member.
According to a complaint lodged by the victim’s family, Anees Kureshi along with some of his men bought one kg guava from Saddam, last Friday, Sardhana police station in-charge Mehar Singh said.
When asked to pay for it, they beat up Saddam and slit his throat with a knife kept on the fruit cart, he said.
On the basis of the complaint, a case was lodged against Salman, Anees, Nafees and Shadab, the police station in-charge said, adding the prime accused, Salman, has been arrested on the day of the incident.
Saddam was rushed to the hospital where his condition is now stated to be stable, he said, adding investigation is underway and if Anees is found to be involved in the incident he too would be arrested.
However the victim’s family alleged that Anees was not being arrested since he is a Samajwadi Party leader and he was pressurising them to withdraw the complaint.