2 men who killed cook for 'bad kebabs' last year get life term

BAREILLY: A court in Bareilly sentenced two men -- Mayank Rastogi (33) and Tajeem Shamsi (29), a jeweller and a cloth merchant -- to life imprisonment for killing a cook, Naseer Ahmed (52), last year, after the duo didn't like the taste of the kebabs served to them. They opened fire at Ahmed with a licensed pistol. The court ofADJ Devashish also slapped Rs 1 lakh as fine on each.

Additional district govt counsel (ADGC), Achintya Dwivedi, said, "The victim, Naseer Ahmed, was working at a kebab shop when Rastogi came with his friend Shamsi in a car and ordered a chicken kebab roll. Ahmed prepared the food and served it to the men who were drunk. After eating, they claimed the kebabs weren't tasty and didn't meet their expectations. This triggered a spat between the trio, amid which Rastogi shot at Ahmed."

The ADGC added: "Rastogi fled with his friend, and was found later chatting with his girlfriend on WhatsApp. He told her 'everything was ruined and today his hands are stained in blood'. Upon investigation, the cops presented those chats as evidence in court, along with eight witnesses."

An FIR under IPC section 302 (murder) and Arms Act was registered at Prem Nagar police station in Bareilly following a complaint filed by eatery owner, Ankur Sabbarwal. Both accused, weeping before the court, said they had "killed the cook under the influence of alcohol." Rastogi's father, Anil Rastogi, who was also accused in the case, was acquitted.

Ahmed's wife, Zaida Begum, told TOI on Thursday her husband had been the family's sole breadwinner. "We don't have any savings to sustain our lives. Things became very difficult for me and my 11-year-old daughter," she said.