Hyderabad: A customer was allegedly beaten to death by the owner and staff of Meridian Restaurant in Punjagutta following a fight over extra raita (curd) on Sunday night.
The victim, Mohammad Liaqat, 31, a resident of Hashmatabad in Chandrayangutta, had visited the restaurant for dinner along with his friend on Sunday at 11 pm.
The altercation began when Liyaqat asked for raita, and the waiter at the hotel allegedly ignored his request, leading to an argument. The situation escalated when the hotel’s manager and other staff reportedly attacked Liyaqat. He sustained severe injuries.
Family members of the victim have raised concerns about the police response. They alleged that the police did not promptly facilitate Liyaqat’s admission to the hospital. They further alleged that police misbehaved when the victim was battling for his life.
Furthermore, Liyaqat’s friend claimed that they were taken to the police station from the hotel, where a sub-inspector reportedly beat up the victim again. He said that only when Liyaqat’s condition deteriorated even more, he was shifted to a nearby private hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.
“A murder case has been registered and five persons have been taken into custody in connection with the incident,” said DCP South Zone Joel Davis, adding that reports of the police thrashing Liyaqat were baseless.
“An enquiry was carried out and the family members were shown footage of the closed circuit cameras in the police station,” said Davis.
Following the incident, AIMIM MLC Mirza Rahmath Baig met with senior police officials and urged them to ensure that the victim’s family gets justice. A murder case has been registered at the Punjagutta police station. The accused have been taken into custody.
| Posted by Masrath Fatima | 
