A shopkeeper who claimed his beard was chopped off and Rs 1.63 lakhs stolen from his shop, “faked it to escape repaying the amount debt”, police spokesman said on Wednesday.
He said that at 0615 am on October 24 police station Batmaloo came to know that some unidentified persons came to the shop of one Farooq Ahmad Bhat son of Abdul Majid Bhat at Kashi Mohalah Batmaloo and demanded cigarettes.
“While doing so they sprinkled some chemical on his face due to which he got unconscious and a small patch of his beard was chopped off and a cash of Rs 1,63,000 was stolen from his shop".
The shopkeeper was taken to hospital by his home people, where from he got discharged immediately, he told GNS .
The alleged victim was several times requested to report Police Station Batmaloo for lodging of complaint regarding the alleged incident however he did not lodged any complaint in Police Station Batmaloo, he said.
He said that Police Station Batmaloo conducted preliminary enquiry into the matter and it has been noticed that the shop of the alleged shopkeeper was located in the compound of his house and inside the Mohalah near Tahiri Masjid and most of the people use to come out from the Masjid after Fajr Prayers and no one has witnessed the incident nor they have seen any suspected person as well as any suspicious movement in the said area.
“There seems no possibility of any non-local person to enter in the locality and indulge in such incidents as the area being a densely built up area and presence of police patrol nearby,” the police spokesman said.
It is pertinent to mention here, the spokesman said, that the Farooq Ahmad has reportedly alleged that a cash of Rs 1, 63,000 has been stolen from his shop during the incident. The victim could not justify the huge cash in his shop instead of keeping it inside with him at his home.
“It has been noticed that the said shopkeeper has CC-Account No.33 in J&K Bank Branch GBS Batmaloo where from he has drawn an amount of Rs 1, 27,000 as loan which is insured by the Concerned bank and has not been reimbursed by the said shopkeeper, which clearly indicates that the shopkeeper has made a false story of beard chopping to escape from repaying the amount debited from his account.” (GNS)