{
  "id": 1275369,
  "title": "Varanasi Cafe Owner Attacked, Car Set on Fire After He Refused Maggi; Alleges Extortion Bid - VIDEO",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/16/varanasi-cafe-owner-attacked-car-set-on-fire-after-he-refused-maggi",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-16T12:44:21.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Press Journal",
    "slug": "free-press-journal",
    "url": "https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/varanasi-cafe-owner-attacked-car-set-on-fire-after-he-refused-maggi-alleges-extortion-bid-video"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In Varanasi, a cafe owner named Aditya Sonkar alleged that a group of men attacked him, damaged his cafe, hurled caste-based insults, demanded extortion money monthly, and set his car on fire. The Cantt police registered a case based on his complaint and initiated an investigation. The incident occurred at midnight on August 12 when Sonkar, along with his cousin, was resting inside the cafe. Around 3 am on August 15, the aggrieved men returned in a car, allegedly intoxicated, and proceeded to assault the two men. They proceeded to vandalize the cafe, break windows, damage a neighboring shop's signboard, and attempted to break the lock. Sonkar further claimed that the assailants returned with additional accomplices around 3 am on August 15, poured petrol on his cousin's car, and set it ablaze. Cantt police station in-charge Rajkishore Pandey confirmed the registration of a case and stated that investigators are reviewing CCTV footage and probing the allegations. A dedicated team has reportedly been assembled to identify and apprehend the responsible individuals.",
  "summary": "A cafe owner in Varanasi has accused a group of men of assaulting him, vandalising his establishment, hurling caste-based slurs, demanding monthly extortion money and allegedly setting a car on fire. The Cantt police have registered a case based on his complaint and launched an investigation. Breaking News | Varanasi \"वाराणसी में मैगी खाने को लेकर दो रेस्टोरेंट में बवाल, तोड़फोड़ और आगजनी\"…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}