The police on Tuesday recovered the body of a 13-year-old boy, who was reported missing from Bhati Mines in south Delhi, and apprehended two 16-year-old acquaintances of the victim, for allegedly murdering him a day before, officers said. Following the recovery of the body, angry locals staged a road blockade near the Sanjay Colony police post on Wednesday.
Police said the situation was brought under control after officials engaged with protesters and assured them of a fair and speedy probe. The boys were produced before the Juvenile Justice Board on Wednesday and sent to an observation home.
Ward councillor Sunder Tanwar said the incident has shaken the local community. “This is a deeply disturbing case. The administration must ensure strict action against those involved,” he said.
According to the police, the victim, a Class 8 student at a government school, went out to play with friends on Monday and did not return. His parents, both daily wage workers, later lodged a missing person complaint with police. A case of kidnapping was registered and sections of murder have been added, police said.
Family of the victim alleged that officers at the Maidangarhi police station did not provide them satisfactory response when they reported the boy missing and sought to file a complaint. “We reached around 8pm to report him missing but they did not lodge our complaint till midnight. They started looking for him only in the morning,” the uncle, 26, said.
A senior police officer refuted the allegations. “As soon as the kidnapping case was registered, police teams started looking for the boy,” the officer said.
A second senior police officer said they enquired with locals and also quizzed the two boys who accompanied the victim. “They revealed that they had strangled him to death and thrown his body in the forested area,” the officer said.
At their instance, police recovered the boy’s body and informed the family. “The accused said they had an argument while playing, after which two then decided to kill the victim,” the officer said.
The victim’s family alleged that the two boys committed the crime under the influence of drugs. “They should be tried as adults because they knew what they were doing,” the uncle said.
The body was handed over to the family after autopsy.
