Ghaziabad: Employee stabs and critically injures shop owner over low pay

Police said the prime suspect and his friend are yet to be identified. They allegedly reached Kumar’s shop around noon and the prime suspect allegedly stabbed the victim multiple times before fleeing the spot

A 30-year-old shopkeeper in Shalimar Garden was stabbed and critically injured on Wednesday allegedly by his new employee, senior police officers said, adding that the suspect was angry about the low salary he was offered.

The ACP said the police have formed teams to ascertain the identities of the suspects and trace their whereabouts. Police also said the shop owner had purchased the shop for about ₹20 lakh last month. (Representational Image)

Police identified the victim as Dhanpat Kumar, a resident of nearby Shaheed Nagar, who operates a grocery shop in Shalimar Garden.Police said the incident happened around noon on Wednesday.

Police said the prime suspect and his friend are yet to be identified. They allegedly reached Kumar’s shop around noon and the prime suspect allegedly stabbed the victim multiple times before fleeing the spot.

“Kumar suffered severe injuries to his hands, abdomen, head and other body parts. He also tried to resist the attack but the two persons managed to overpower him. The two suspects fled the spot. Locals soon rushed him to a private hospital where he is on ventilator support and in a critical condition,” said Siddharth Gautam, assistant commissioner of police, Shalimar Garden.

The ACP said the police have formed teams to ascertain the identities of the suspects and trace their whereabouts. Police also said the shop owner had purchased the shop for about ₹20 lakh last month.

“Kumar’s wife told police that the prime suspect joined at the shop about two days ago, and he had some dispute with Kumar about the salary he was to be paid. She said the prime suspect was angry with the salary he was offered and demanded a higher amount. This probably led to the incident. We are awaiting a formal complaint from the victim’s family and a case under Indian Penal Code Section 307 (attempt to murder) will soon be registered,” Gautam said.

Police said the shop where the incident took place was not under direct CCTV coverage and they are scanning footage from other cameras to identify the two absconding suspects.