Thiruvananthapuram: A restaurateur in Kerala was knifed to death by a customer, reportedly after an altercation over the quality of ‘vada’ (a local snack) served at the outlet. The incident happened in Kochi, the state’s commercial capital, on Wednesday.
The accused, identified as P.S. Ratheesh, 27, surrendered to the police on Thursday.
The hotelier Johnson alias Albin, 48, was knifed to death near Vytilla in the heart of Kochi. Ratheesh, believed to be a native of Tamil Nadu surrendered before police in Kattapana in Idukki district.
The incident happened around 2.30pm on Wednesday. Johnson, who was stabbed in the neck collapsed on the road outside the restaurant. Passers-by immediately rushed him to a nearby hospital, and he was later shifted to a private hospital but he succumbed to the wounds.
Local media reported that the altercation began after Ratheesh ate a ‘vada’ and complained about its quality. Johnson asked him to go out of the restaurant.
Later, Johnson himself went out to buy some bananas to make fritters, and on his way back Ratheesh allegedly stabbed him. The attacker fled the scene immediately after the incident, before surrendering to the police on Thursday.
