Lucknow: A 26-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly killing a history-sheeter by repeatedly hitting him on the head with bricks and an iron pipe following a dispute over a cigarette in the Manak Nagar area.
Police said Ramashankar had a criminal history, with around 10 cases registered against him at different police stations in Lucknow. These included cases related to robbery, snatching and murder , most of which dated back to before 1998.
The dispute began when Ramashankar, allegedly under the influence of alcohol, asked Veeresh for a cigarette, according to police. When Veeresh told him that he did not have one, Ramashankar became enraged, abused him and allegedly attacked him with a brick. During interrogation, Veeresh told police that he retaliated by picking up an iron pipe and bricks and striking Ramashankar repeatedly on the head. The victim collapsed after the assault, according to the accused.
Believing that Ramashankar had died, Veeresh allegedly fled the spot without informing anyone. Veeresh, a resident of the Ramnagar area in Alambagh, was arrested from Sleeper Ground in Ramnagar and later produced before a court. A murder case was also registered against him at Krishna Nagar police station.
The victim, identified as Ramashankar alias Chhotu Kalia, was found dead in a pool of blood on the terrace of his house on Tuesday morning. He had reportedly been drinking with friends on Monday night when an argument broke out between him and the accused, Veeresh Bahadur Singh.