The police in London have charged a teenager with the murder of a shopkeeper of Indian origin in Mill Hill, The Telegraph reported.
A group of teenagers allegedly attacked Vijay Patel, a 49-year-old married father of two, on January 6 in the North London locality after he refused to serve them cigarette papers as they are underage. The accused struck him on the chest and he fell backwards, hitting his head on the pavement. The London Ambulance Service, which found him lying injured on the pavement, took him to St Mary’s Hospital in London. Patel died on Monday afternoon.
“The Homicide and Major Crime Command continue to investigate and appeal for information about the events leading up to the incident, which resulted in Patel’s death,” Scotland Yard said. “It is believed that three persons were involved in the incident.”
The attack was an “unprovoked spontaneous incident sparked entirely by refusal to let the suspects buy what they wanted”, PTI quoted Detective Inspector Ian Lott of the Metropolitan Police as saying. “A man lost his life for no reason other than trying to uphold the law.”
Patel had moved to the United Kingdom with his family in 2006. His wife Vibha was visiting relatives in India at the time of the attack. “We are shocked and heartbroken,” his brother Prakash Patel said. “He was such a kind person.”
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