A 48-year-old shopkeeper who was assaulted by four youths for demanding money for the cigarettes they bought, breathed his last midway to hospital in Belagavi district on Tuesday night.
The police, meanwhile, arrested the four youths.
The assault occurred at Bodkenatti village in Belagavi taluk when shopkeeper Yallappa Durgappa Naik demanded money for the cigarettes the youths bought at his shop.
The accused who were reportedly in an inebriated state were returning from a fair and stopped at Bodakenatti village for smoking cigarette. They stopped Yallappa from closing his shop and bought cigarettes from him. When he asked for payment, they picked up quarrel with him and beat him up.
Yallappa was taken to a local doctor and on his advice, he was being taken to KLE Society Hospital in Belagavi for further treatment. However, he breathed his last midway, the police said.
The Kakathi Police have registered a case. They arrested the accused identified as Prajwal Ramachandra Patil, Nikhil Mahesh Chougale, Vivek Rajendra Chougale, all three aged 22, and 21-year-old Sridhar Ratan Patil from Kadoli village.
Published – February 04, 2026 06:30 pm IST
