Fruit Vendor Dies En Route to Police Station After Loan Dispute in Bhiwandi

A fruit vendor died in Maharashtra's Thane district after an altercation with a woman over an unpaid loan, police said on Wednesday. The woman has been arrested and booked for murder.

The victim, Yakub Siddiqui, a resident of Bhiwandi, had borrowed money from the woman three to four years ago. According to police, delays in repaying the loan had caused friction between the two over time.

On Tuesday night, the woman approached Siddiqui's stall, where a heated argument broke out over the outstanding debt. During the confrontation, she allegedly assaulted him.

After the altercation, Siddiqui boarded an autorickshaw to go to the local police station to lodge a complaint. He collapsed inside the vehicle before reaching his destination, police said.

The autorickshaw driver rushed him to the government-run Indira Gandhi Hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.

The Bhiwandi police subsequently arrested the woman, identified as Laxmi Naik, and booked her under Section 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deals with murder, along with other relevant provisions.

She was produced before a local magistrate, who remanded her to police custody until September 11.