As parents awaited his return, friends killed him for laptop

CHENNAI: K Ramanathan and his wife Meenakshi were waiting to see their son, Raghav, who was to return on Thursday after completing his engineering course at a private college in Hosur. Instead, the 22-year-old's body was brought home after he was murdered by his juniors for a laptop.
Police said he hosted a dinner for 16 of his friends on Tuesday night to bid them goodbye.After he returned to his room in Hosur, two of his juniors entered his room and slit his throat before making away with his laptop.
Speaking to TOI at their modest house in Ambattur on Thursday, Ramanathan, who runs a small-scale unit in Padi, said, "He was a soft-spoken boy, always helpful and was compassionate towards the less fortunate. He called me around 8.30pm and told me that he has finished his course and was coming home. He said, 'Please come and take me home in the car'."
That was the last Ramanathan heard from his son who told his father that he was going out for dinner with his friends. Raghav was cremated on Thursday.
Raghav's sister Meera, a first year engineering student, and his mother Meenakshi were shocked. The simple, middle-class house was filled with relatives and friends in mourning. Ramanathan spent 12.5 lakh on the five-year bachelor of architecture course.
"His final-year project was about slum clearance. He had put his heart and soul into it and would be a dream come true if the state government implements it as it would alleviate the sufferings of slum dwellers," said Ramanathan, fighting tears.
Police said Raghav returned to his house on Tuesday night and chatted with friends online. Praveen, a third year student, and Sachin, a first year student, waited for him to sleep. After he fell asleep, they knocked on the door. Raghav opened it and they began beating him. Raghav took out a blade in self defence, but the two pinned him down and killed him. They locked the house and left.
Ramanthan said the landlord Narasimhan heard some noise and went out. He saw the two boys jumping over the wall. He found Raghav's body upstairs and called police. Hosur police nabbed Sachin and Praveen and recovered the laptop from them. Police said they confessed that they had killed Raghav for the laptop.
"They could have taken the laptop. Why did they take his life?" said Ramanathan, in tears.