18-yr-old stabbed to death by minor while resisting snatching bid; 2 held

An investigator said it is not clear how many stab wounds Kumar suffered, but at least a dozen wounds were visible.

An 18-year-old man was stabbed to death by minor boys for resisting a snatching bid in south Delhi’s Maidan Garhi, police officers said on Sunday. Two juveniles involved in the incident have been apprehended, police said.

The forested area where the murder took place. (HT Photo)

Deputy commissioner of police (south) Chandan Chowdhary said the victim has been identified as Harsh Kumar, a resident of Sanjay Colony at Bhati Mines. According to his family members, Kumar had stepped out to buy noodles on Saturday afternoon when he was attacked. However, police said Kumar was playing cards when he was attacked.

Police said the incident came to light after the Maidan Garhi police station received a call about a dead body near the Radha Krishna temple. “Police staff reached the scene and found the body of a male. There were several stab marks on the dead body, including a deep cut on the throat,” Chowdhary said.

According to an investigator, it is not clear how many stab wounds Kumar suffered, but at least a dozen wounds were visible. “The post mortem report will establish exact details,” the investigator said.

The body was then identified by Kumar’s grandmother Janki.

According to Janki, Kumar, a class 12 student, had taken the day off from school because he had hurt his hand. “He left the house around 1pm, saying he is going out to bring noodles and will come back to have lunch, but he didn’t return. We then started looking for him and were eventually approached by police, who took me to the jungle area where I saw my grandson dead,” she said.

Police said that the crime scene was inspected by the crime team and exhibits were lifted and seized. Thereafter, the dead body was shifted to AIIMS hospital for most-mortem and the body was handed over to the family.

Chowdhary said that a case under section 302 (Punishment for murder) of the Indian Penal Code was registered and during a probe of the case, CCTV footage from around the area was obtained.

A senior police officer said that a preliminary probe has revealed that Kumar was playing cards in the jungle area near Bhati Mines when the incident took place. “The two accused came and tried to snatch his phone. When he resisted, one of them caught hold of him and the other stabbed him multiple times. They also threatened to kill the other boys. The duo then poured some chemical on Kumar, which led to partial burn injuries,” the officer said.

“A few youths were observed in the CCTV footage who were last seen with the deceased,” Chowdhary said.

Police said that using human intelligence, the accused were identified and two minors were apprehended from Sanjay Colony. During sustained interrogation, both admitted to murdering Kumar, and the knife they used, along with Kumar’s mobile phone and SIM card, were recovered from their possession. The blood-stained clothes and shoes of the minors were also recovered.

According to police, Kumar was killed because he resisted a bid by the minors to snatch his phone. “One of the minors stabbed Kumar several times in front of others to show off his hooliganism in the area,” Chowdhary said.