Buy an AC and feel the heat

Delhi-based lawyer claims he was assaulted by workers of a leading electronics retail store

Delhi-based lawyer claims he was assaulted by workers of a leading electronics retail store

With the mercury hovering around 40u00b0C, Deepak Anand, a Delhi High Court lawyer, felt it was time to get an AC to beat the heat. Well, he was in for a nasty surprise.


The ransacked house of lawyer Deepak Anand

According to Anand, a resident of Gulabi Bagh in north Delhi, he bought an air conditioner for Rs 25,990 from the nearby Tata Croma store on March 31. A deliveryman arrived the same day to install the machine, but some parts were found missing. Anand refused to sign the receiving slip, asking the person to finish the job.

"After doing this on day one they repeated the same mistake the next day. On April 1, the delivery guys missed the cooling pipe and asked me to sign the receiving slip again but I refused, as the AC was not working. Then they tried to force me to sign saying they would take the AC away.u00a0 After a heated argument, they attempted to carry out their threat, at which my younger brother Kumar made a PCR call. Seeing this one the delivery boys fled and we locked the other guy in our bedroom, waiting for the police to come," said Anand.

Meanwhile the delivery boy who was locked inside the room called up his colleagues who reached Anand's home at the same time as the police. The issue was seemingly resolved and the police asked the retail store to take the AC back and refund the full amount.

Anand went to the local DDA market immediately and bought another AC after depositing half the amount. On his way back he saw the delivery boy outside his house with his colleagues, video recording his movements. So, Anand decided to reciprocate.

The Other Side

The official statement from the retail store mentions, "We are aware of an incident involving a contract worker from the house keeping agency. Both the parties have taken legal action against each other and the matter is sub judice. We are extending full support & cooperation to the authorities."

"After a while, one of the delivery boys came to our house and claimed that he had left his identity card inside. Without suspecting any foul play I allowed him in. As he entered, seven to eight people followed him and attacked us with iron rods. They ransacked our house and took away Rs 10,000, three mobile phones and a laptop. We were not even in a condition to call the police so our neighbour called for help," said Anand's younger brother Kumar.

Both Anand and his brother were taken to Bara Hindu Rao hospital for medical treatment where it was detected that they had been physically assaulted. The police registered a case and also arrested three of the assailants.