'Loud music' during azan row: Two more arrested for assaulting shopkeeper

Bengaluru: Two more people were arrested by the Halasuru Gate police in the alleged attack on a shopkeeper in Siddannagalli in Central Bengaluru on Sunday. With this, the total arrests stand at five.

The arrested are Suleman, Shah Nawaz, Rohit and Tarun, all in their early twenties. The fifth suspect is a minor, the police said, adding that another suspect was yet to be identified.

The incident occurred at around 6.20 pm when the suspects argued with Mukesh, 26, who ran Krishna Telecom at Siddanagalli on Jama Masjid Road in Cubbonpet. The FIR and the written complaint filed initially by Mukesh stated that the argument began over a "loud sound on speaker".

During the initial investigation, police found that Mukesh was playing “loud Hindi songs” on his portable speaker and the suspects asked him to lower the volume as it was time for azaan, a police officer told DH, adding that an argument ensued, which led to a melee.

"The suspects and the victim knew each other," the officer said. "In the past, some of them went to his shop asking for chargers. One of the suspects, Suleman, has two prior cases."

Meanwhile, Mukesh gave an additional statement to the police on Tuesday claiming that he was playing the Hanuman Chalisa when the suspects arrived at his shop and asked him to lower the volume as it was time for azaan and then assaulted him after an argument, well-placed police sources said.

A senior officer said they had attached the additional statement and continued the probe.

The arrested were booked under IPC sections 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 307 (attempt to murder), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means).