Two men have been arrested from Shaheen Bagh for allegedly attacking an ice-cream seller during a dispute over price. The clash broke out on Saturday when the accused reportedly assaulted the vendor with a paper cutter after arguing about the cost of ice cream.
Police said the accused have been identified as Rehan, a resident of Welcome in northeast Delhi, and Farid, 23, from Ahmedabad. Neither of them lives in Okhla.
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“The incident took place in the intervening night of September 11-12 when the complainant, Roshan Kumar, was heading towards Jasola with his ice-cream cart. As he reached near an ATM on Nala Road, three young men stopped him and started a fight over the price of ice-cream,” a senior police officer said as reported by the media.
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During the scuffle, one of the accused slashed Kumar’s abdomen with a paper cutter, leaving him injured. The attackers fled immediately after the assault, while Kumar was rushed to the AIIMS Trauma Centre for treatment.
Based on ice-cream seller Kumar’s statement, police registered an FIR, an officer said.
The next evening, a police patrol team spotted two men behaving suspiciously near the Shram Vihar cut under the Metro line in Shaheen Bagh. When the men tried to escape, the officers chased them down and caught them after a brief pursuit.
“A country-made pistol and a live cartridge were found in their possession. On questioning, they admitted to being involved in the assault case,” the officer said.
A case under the Arms Act has been added against the duo, and efforts are underway to trace their third associate. On interrogation, the accused disclosed that they used to extort money from people by threatening them with firearms.
“The swift action of Police Station Shaheen Bagh police not only solved the assault case but also prevented potential misuse of illegal firearms,” said police.
The development has shocked residents. One local recalled that just a few months ago, Shaheen Bagh Mandi had witnessed a similar incident. At that time, a vendor clashed with a woman customer during a bargaining dispute, which quickly escalated into a heated verbal exchange. Soon, others joined the fray, and when a lawyer, related to the customer, objected to the vendor’s aggression, the situation spiraled into a violent fight.
Later, lawyers intervened and an FIR was registered against the unruly vendor.
Residents said such flare-ups are not uncommon in the neighbourhood. According to one local, parking disputes have become a daily ordeal. Builders often assure prospective buyers of ample parking space, even though the area can barely accommodate the rising number of vehicles in the building. This mismatch breeds frustration, sparking frequent verbal spats that occasionally escalate into full-blown violence.
