BPO workers beat African student for refusing ciggie

A 24-year-old student from a West African country was assaulted by four men working for a BPO in Banaswadi late on Sunday night after a fight over a trivial issue, police said. 

Ammar Qusian, from Ivory Coast, told the police that the four men—Sunil, Kiran alias Kini, Vinay Bhat and Ganesh—beat him up while he was riding home with a friend after eating dinner at a hotel. 

Bhat had celebrated his birthday on Sunday and hosted a party for his friends at a hotel. Thereafter, the four men left for home on their bikes. On the way, they saw Qusian and his friend coming from the opposite direction on Kammanahalli main road, and accosted them.

The bunch demanded cigarettes from Qusian and his friend. Qusian said he didn’t have cigarettes while his friend refused to give them. A verbal spat then broke out.

Qusian objected to their behaviour and asked them to mind their business. The bunch got angry and attacked him. They beat him till he fell to the ground, and ran away, a police officer said. 

Qusian’s friend then took him to a hospital which discharged him after treating him as an outpatient. Thereafter, Qusian made a complaint to the police who acted swiftly and arrested two of the suspects, Sunil and Kiran, both from Kammanahalli. Bhat and Ganesh are absconding and being pursued, the officer said. 

Qusian had come to India recently to pursue a degree in management studies. He is living in Horamavu and scouting around for a good college. Police said Qusian went incommunicado after lodging the complaint and they were looking for him. 

“We need more information from them. We have been trying to contact him, but he is not reachable. We will arrest the two others soon,” the officer added.