Elderly Man Killed in Violent Dispute Over Cigarette Near Casablanca

The victim had no money on him and would have asked the cigarette seller to give him one for free. But the latter would have refused, and a fight would have broken out between the two men, leading to the murder of the old man, reports the daily Assabah.

The cigarette seller, known to the police and justice as a drug trafficker in the area, apparently did not appreciate the fact that the old man insisted that he give him a cigarette. He would have started insulting him before throwing stones at him, several of which hit the victim in the head, details the same source.

The old man, seriously injured in the head, continued on his way staggering, then finally collapsed a few steps from his home where he died, probably from a hemorrhage. But before succumbing to his injuries, he took care to indicate the identity of his aggressor to his family, who alerted the gendarmes.

The gendarmerie elements from Sidi Rahhal arrested the cigarette seller, the presumed perpetrator of the murder. Questioned at the gendarmerie station, he did not deny the facts. The accused was remanded in custody, pending the case being brought before the Settat Court of Appeal. He faces a sentence of more than five years in prison for this crime.