Truck driver kills puncture shop owner over Rs 300 in Moradabad

Shamli: A 28-year-old puncture shop owner was allegedly stabbed to death by a truck driver following an argument over a Rs 300 payment in Mainather police station area late Thursday night, police said.The victim, Ishtekhar Alam, originally from Bihar’s Muzaffarpur, had been living in Dingarpur village for the past few years and ran a tyre puncture repair shop along the Moradabad-Sambhal Road near New Basti.Police said the incident took place around 8.40pm when Mohammad Karim (40), a truck driver from Rampur district’s Shahjad Nagar area, stopped to get his truck tyre repaired. An argument broke out between the two over payment.Alam’s brother-in-law, Mohammad Mumtaz, alleged that Karim pulled out a knife from his truck cabin and stabbed Alam in the chest before fleeing. Family members rushed Alam to hospital, where he died during treatment.Mainather SHO Kiranpal Singh said a case was initially registered under BNS sections 351(3) (criminal intimidation by threat of death or grievous hurt), 352 (punishment for assault or criminal force) and 109(1) (attempt to murder). “After Alam’s death, BNS section 103(1) (punishment for murder) was added,” he said.Police arrested Karim on Friday and seized the murder weapon from his possession. Officials said Karim was earlier booked in a rash driving case in Rampur in 2025. Further investigation is underway.