Hotel owner held for attacking senior citizen

A hotel owner was arrested on Thursday for allegedly attacking a senior citizen in suburban Malad, a police official said.

Baranbe Pereira, a retired engineer with the Western Railway, had lodged a complaint against a hotel run by Jitendra Tailor, the accused, the official said.

Pereira had complained to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) that two restaurants -- including one run by Tailor -- adjacent to the Marve Link Society where he lives are illegal.

The restaurants blocked the ventilation to the flats, Pereira had alleged.

On Monday, he visited the BMC and warned the officials that he would approach the court if they took no action.

On Wednesday, an unidentified man attacked Pereira with a knife near his house.

"Pereira was rushed to a private hospital. He had suffered injuries above his left eye, behind left ear and on the right cheek," the police official said.

The police examined CCTV footage which revealed that it was Tailor who had attacked Pereira, and arrested the hotel owner under IPC section 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons), he said.