BENGALURU: A 29-year-old dhaba manager died of burns on Tuesday after four men set fire to the door of his establishment last week.
The incident took place at ‘U Turn’ dhaba, located in Dodda Byalakere, Hesaraghatta, around 1am on December 24. M Manoj Kumar, a bachelor, had joined the dhaba in 2018.
According to police, Manoj filed his complaint from the burns ward of Victoria Hospital on December 24. Earlier that day, he sustained burn injuries when miscreants set a portion of the dhaba on fire over a fight saying their bill was inflated.
Manoj said the dhaba was closed around 11pm on December 23. “After finishing all the work and cleaning the kitchen and other places, I went to my room and sat down for dinner. My colleague Tejas was asleep. Around 12.50am, I heard a blast outside. Thinking it was a short circuit, I opened the door. To my shock, I found a stout person throwing petrol on the door and walls and setting them on fire. The fire was spreading rapidly and got to me. Shouting for help, I ran back into the room. Tejas and others doused the fire,” Manoj told police.
The same day, police visited the spot and found that a fight had taken place between Manoj and four men over their bill.
“The bill had come to Rs 5,500. But the men, claiming to be close friends of the dhaba owner, abused Manoj for not giving a discount and refused to pay up. They also claimed it was inflated. However, Manoj said he did not have permission to give a discount and asked the men to speak to the owner. The four left saying they would teach him a lesson. The arson took place two hours later,” an investigating officer said.
Police are on the lookout for the four suspects.
