Police on Tuesday found the body of a 13-year-old boy, who was reported missing from Bhatti mines in south Delhi, and arrested two 16-year-old acquaintances of the victim, for allegedly killing him the day before, officers said. After the body was recovered, angry locals laid siege on the road near Sanjay Colony police station on Wednesday.
The police said that the situation was under control after officials dealt with the demonstrators and assured them of a fair and quick investigation. The boys were produced before the Juvenile Justice Board on Wednesday and sent to the observation home.
Neighborhood council member Sunder Tanwar said the incident shook the local community. “This is a very disturbing case. The administration must ensure strict action is taken against those involved,” he said.
According to police, the victim, an eighth-grade student at a government school, went out to play with his friends on Monday and did not return. Later, his parents, both daily wage workers, filed a complaint about his disappearance with the police. The police said that a case of kidnapping has been registered and murder sections have been added.
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The victim’s family alleged that officers at Maidangarhi police station did not give them a satisfactory response when they reported the boy missing and asked to file a complaint. The 26-year-old uncle said: “We arrived around eight in the evening to report his disappearance, but they did not file our complaint until midnight. They only started looking for him in the morning.”
A senior police officer denied these accusations. The officer said: “As soon as the kidnapping case was registered, police teams began searching for the boy.”
Another senior police officer said they inquired with local residents and also interrogated the two boys who accompanied the victim. “They revealed that they strangled him to death and dumped his body in the forest area,” the officer said.
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At her request, the police recovered the boy’s body and notified his family. The officer said: “The two accused said that they had an argument while playing, after which two decided to kill the victim.”
The victim’s family claimed that the two boys committed the crime under the influence of drugs. “They should be tried as adults because they know what they are doing,” the uncle said.
The body was handed over to its family after an autopsy.
