A ragpicker allegedly strangled a 42-year-old carpenter to death with a towel early on Sunday due to a petty dispute.
According to Alwal inspector B. Pushpal Kumar, the deceased, S. Narahari, went out to have tea at Balanagar bus stop at around 4 am. On the way he met one Shankar Naik, 55, a ragpicker whom he was familiar with.
Shankar Naik sleeps on the footpath at night. When he woke up on Sunday, he found Rs 300 missing from his pocket. When he saw Narahari, he thought that he had stolen the money and started a fight. During the heated argument, Shankar Naik wrapped a towel around Narahari’s neck and tied it to the iron pipe of a shed near the bus stop and killed him. Shankar Naik is absconding.
“We have registered a murder case and are investigating. Efforts are on to nab the accused,” the inspector said.