'Brushing shoulders' leads to murder of 13-year-old boy in Delhi's Bhati Mines, 2 minors held

NEW DELHI: A frantic overnight search for a 13-year-old boy finally ended in recovery of his body on Tuesday morning from a forested stretch of Bhati Mines in south Delhi. Two minors have been apprehended, one of whom had allegedly returned from an observation home just two months ago.

The boy, the son of a daily-wage labourer couple, was reported missing from Maidan Garhi on Monday evening. His parents approached the local police station after he didn’t return home after telling them that he was going out to play. A kidnapping case, along with a missing person report, was registered and teams began searching for him. Officers also found that two other minors from the neighbourhood were also untraceable.

A senior officer said, "The search for the boy went overnight. We looked for him in several areas near his house as well as all over the neighbourhood." CCTV footage later showed the victim playing with two other boys, aged around 15 and 17, shortly before he went missing. "These two boys were also not found anywhere,” he added.

Police managed to trace the two juveniles using technical surveillance and they allegedly told the cops what had happened. According to investigators, the boys had a minor altercation while playing allegedly over brushing shoulders, which escalated into a dispute.

The boys told police that they initially had an argument. "Though they appeared to have settled the matter, the two juveniles decided to lure the 13-year-old to a secluded forested area in Bhati Mines, where they strangled him and smashed his head with rocks," said an officer.

Based on their disclosure, police teams reached the spot early Tuesday and recovered the boy’s body. Both minors have been apprehended.

Outraged by the incident, family members and locals protested outside the police post located in Sanjay Colony on Wednesday, demanding justice. They also briefly blocked the road. The boy’s uncle alleged, "Though we approached the police station around 8pm and an FIR was registered around 12am, we only received information around 8am the next morning that he had been found dead. Strict action should be taken against the minors.”