MP: Man vandalises pan shop after owner refuses to lend cigarettes in advance, booked

Chhatarpur (Madhya Pradesh): A man who used to visit a pan shop on a regular basis in Ghoora village of Chhatarpur vandalised it when the shop owner refused to lend him cigarettes in advance, the police said on Wednesday.

The police added that the incident took place on Tuesday night, and was caught on CCTV camera installed in the shop. A case has been registered against the accused, they said.

According to the local police, the complainant, Ravindra Gupta runs a shop in a rented space on the National Highway 39, near the Ghoora bridge of Rajnagar tehsil of Chhatarpur. He approached the police on Tuesday late night, stating that he was present on the shop, when one of his regular customers arrived at the shop. The man asked for cigarettes in advance, but was turned down by Gupta as the man had not cleared his outstanding dues.

Following this, the man turned furious and began vandalising the shop. He even hurled stones at the shop, while Gupta and his two children hid inside to shield themselves. In the meanwhile, Gupta informed the Dial-100 police, which rushed to the spot. The accused man had fled by then.

Gupta narrated the entire incident to the cops and also handed them over the CCTV footage, which contained the entire account of the incident. The police have launched a manhunt to apprehend the accused.