British-Indian killed for not giving out cigarettes to minors

- ADVERTISEMENT -

British-Indian Vijay Patel, 49, was killed at a convenience store in Mill Hill, north London, where he worked, on Saturday night.

According to the Telegraph, Patel was attacked by a group of young individuals who got upset at him after he refused to sell them cigarettes as he believed that they were underage.

Police have already taken a 16-year-old boy into custody and continue to search for the rest.

According to the Telegraph, the group entered the shop on The Broadway in Mill Hill late Saturday evening and had wanted to buy several items, including the cigarettes, which they were later denied.

A police spokesman told the Telegraph: “The three were unhappy about the decision and became aggressive, threatening to vandalize the shop. As such Vijay and a colleague went outside after them to ensure no damage was done to the shop. Vijay was struck once by one of the teenagers, causing him to fall to the floor.”

Patel had been working that night with the owner of the shop, who suffered only minor injuries when he was punched by the teenagers, who fled the scene heading toward Mill Hill Broadway station.

Patel’s colleague Jagmeet Sethi, 27, who worked alongside him for almost a year was in disbelief when he heard the news.

“It’s very hard to accept this. He’s not here anymore. It is very difficult. He was a very nice guy, a good-natured guy. If you buy something he would go with you to your car and give it to you. He was a very nice guy, a good-natured guy. If you buy something he would go with you to your car and give it to you,” he told the Telegraph.

Sethi added that Patel had built a reputation among his customers as a “very helpful, quiet, down-to-earth” man who always helped his customers carry their bags.

According to the Telegraph, Patel moved to London in 2006 to earn more money so he could to give his wife, Vibha, and two sons a better life, his brother, Prakash, told the Telegraph that “he worked extremely hard and sent money back home to help fund his children’s education.”