Gangster fires after tasting cold daal

Inebriated man attacks hotel owner and fires shots in the air after being served a cold meal.

TARANDA SIWA KHAN: An inebriated man attacked a hotel owner, broke the counter and fired shots in the air causing a stampede in the area.

Dozens of people fled the roadside motel and four children were severely injured in the proceedings as proclaimed offender and murder accused Zain Tareli fired random shots in the air because he was served a cold meal.

According to the motel owner, Muhammad Amjad, on Saturday night after midnight Tareli came to his motel demanding food. “We had already closed up shop and didn’t have anything but he began to threaten us and then pulled out a gun on my father Riaz Ahmed,” he said. Riaz said that he told his son to go find some food for Tareli and Tareli waited for food to be brought to him. According to the motel owner, several people witnessed the incident but most pretended to be  asleep on their charpoys outside the motel.

“He was drunk and muttering nonsense. He told us that he would kill us if we didn’t do everything he said and I handed him a plate of daal and a chappati that I had gotten from a nearby tea stall,” said Amjad.

Amjad said that a few minutes after receiving the food Tareli threw the plate on the floor claiming that there was a fly in the food and that it was cold. “He then proceeded to break up the shop, he smashed glasses and broke the counter and tables,” Amjad said, adding that he was abusing everyone at the top of his lungs.

“The man pulled out his gun again and began firing randomly, all of us woke up and ran for our lives,” said Sadiq, one of the men who was staying at the motel.

Police officials were called to the scene and arrested Tareli. “We have been searching for him for months, he has already been charged with two counts of murder and several counts of theft,” said station house officer Faisal Razaq, adding that when they caught Tareli he was drunk and had created havoc at the motel.

“The entire place looked like it had been trashed by ten men instead of just one,” he said. Muhammad Amjad said that the police had registered an armed attack case against the accused.

Locals said that as Tareli began firing there was a stampede and five people were severely injured. Three of the injured were children and are reportedly in critical condition. Police officials said that the injured had been sent to the THQ hospital for treatment. Two men received bullet wounds but are said to be out of danger.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 18^th, 2010.