Kohima shopkeeper flees with crores in debt

KOHIMA — A shopkeeper running a grocery store at Razhü Point in Kohima reportedly left the city with unpaid debts, prompting several creditors and suppliers to gather outside the shop on Saturday to inspect the remaining goods.

Sources said that the shopkeeper, allegedly from Bihar, had been running the store for several years. He reportedly fled either on October 11 or 12. The building belongs to the Z Naki Cooperative Society, not a private individual.

Speaking to Eastern Mirror, the chairman of Z Naki Cooperative Society, Kehochol, said that the shopkeeper had not paid rent for about 13 months, amounting to approximately INR 5 lakh.

The chairman added that the shopkeeper cited reasons that his business partners had absconded with all the money, and the society had trusted him despite the delays.

Also read: Two arrested for assault and vandalism at Dimapur street food stall

Most of the victims are either moneylenders or goods wholesalers, he added. Kehochol said that the society plans to publicise the matter in the media and distribute the remaining goods among the victims in the coming days.

Attempts to file an FIR with the police were reportedly unsuccessful, as authorities did not consider it a criminal case. The society has been holding meetings to discuss the matter.

One of the victims told this newspaper that the shopkeeper had borrowed INR 23 lakh from him before fleeing.

Sources estimate that the shopkeeper owes more than INR 30 lakh to several individuals, with total debts likely running into crores.

Several victims have reportedly filed FIRs at the North Police Station since the shopkeeper fled.