Four people allegedly beat a shopkeeper to death after they were asked to pay for the cigarettes they had taken, police in Shahdol in Madhya Pradesh said on Saturday.
The incident occurred in Deolond town, about 90 kilometres from the district headquarters, on Friday night, an official said, adding that the accused had been identified as Monu Khan, Pankaj Singh, Virat Singh and Sandeep Singh.
"The four went to Arun Soni's shop at around 9 pm and asked for cigarettes. When Soni asked them to pay for the cigarettes, the four assaulted him as well as two of his sons who tried to rescue their father," Bhavishya Bhaskar, Sub Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) of Beohari said.
"Soni died some time after being rushed to a hospital. Three of the four accused have been detained. Efforts are on to nab one of them who is on the run," he added.
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