Sonipat man beaten to death over Rs 1,500 grocery dues; 2 arrested

Sonipat: A dispute over an unpaid grocery bill of around Rs 1,500 allegedly turned fatal in Haryana's Sonipat district, where a man was beaten to death inside his house in Kharkhoda area's Pai village.According to the complaint filed by Rohit, son of the deceased Rajkumar, the family had been purchasing groceries on credit from a local shop run by accused Praveen. On Saturday night, while Rohit was returning home from work, Praveen allegedly intercepted him and demanded payment of the pending bills.Rohit sought a day or two to clear the dues, but the conversation soon spiralled into an argument. Sensing tension, he left the spot and went to his uncle Rajesh's house nearby. Soon after, Praveen arrived at the house along with his aides Sher Singh, Naveen, Sangeeta and Babita. They were all armed with sticks and rods. The accused allegedly barged into the residence and began assaulting family members.When Rohit's father Rajkumar attempted to intervene, Praveen attacked him with sticks, grabbed him by the neck and slammed his head against a concrete pole. Rajkumar reportedly lost balance after the impact, fell into a drain and died of critical injuries before reaching a govt hospital in Kharkhoda.Police said two calls were received on Dial-112 on the night of May 16. The first call reported a dispute over financial transactions, while the second informed police about an assault on Rajkumar. An FSL team later visited the scene, collected forensic evidence and conducted videography through the e-Sakshya app. The body was shifted to Sonipat Civil Hospital mortuary for post-mortem examination.Based on Rohit's complaint, Kharkhoda police registered a murder case against Praveen, Sher Singh, Naveen, Sangeeta and Babita.Additional SHO of Kharkhoda police station, Deepak Beniwal, said two accused have been arrested so far, while efforts are underway to nab the remaining suspects. "We are conducting a thorough investigation. Anyone found involved in the case will be arrested soon," the officer said.