Boy,16, held for strangling, burning 9-year-old girl in Gurugram

Police said the accused visited the house of the victim to help her do her homework around 10am when her mother and brother had gone to their neighbour’s apartment

Published on: Jul 1, 2024, 20:04:58 IST

By Leena Dhankhar

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A 16-year-old boy was apprehended for allegedly strangling a nine-year-old girl in his neighbourhood to death and attempting to burn her body in Sector 107 on Dwarka Expressway in Gurugram on Monday, said police.

Police said that the accused has confessed to the crime, saying that he murdered the girl after he was caught stealing. (Representative image)

The accused visited the house of the victim to help her do her homework around 10am when her mother and brother had gone to their neighbour’s apartment, said police. Karan Goel, deputy commissioner of police (west), said that the accused has confessed to the crime, saying that he murdered the girl after he was caught stealing.

“To escape from the apartment, he used a cloth to strangulate the girl and before he could dispose off the body and flee from the spot, the girl’s mother reached and he was caught,” said Goel.

The DCP said that police received a call at the control room around 10.45am and a team from Dhankot and Rajendra Park police station reached the spot.

“The mother of the victim and neighbours had caught hold of the juvenile. The mother told police that when she returned home from her neighbour’s apartment with her son, the iron grill door was locked and the wooden door was open,” the DCP said.

“The mother saw a boy who lived in the same society and often visited their house. The boy did not open the gate and with the help of neighbours they broke open the temple room and entered the apartment. The mother saw fire coming out of the room and with the help of the neighbours she entered the bedroom. She was shocked to find her daughter lying dead and her body was set ablaze. There were clothes on her body that were lit by matchbox,” the DCP said.

A case is being registered at Rajendra Park police station and the postmortem will be conducted on Tuesday, said police.

The accused will be produced before the juvenile justice board (JJB) in an hour, said police.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Leena Dhankhar
Leena Dhankhar is Senior Editor and Bureau Chief, Gurugram, at Hindustan Times, where she has spent over 17 years chronicling the transformation of one of India's fastest-growing urban regions. From starting her career as a crime reporter to leading the Gurugram bureau, her journalism has been defined by investigative reporting, in-depth storytelling and an unwavering focus on public interest. Over nearly two decades, she has reported extensively across crime, politics, civic governance, elections, real estate, environment, courts, sports, education and entertainment, covering Gurugram, Faridabad, Nuh and Palwal. Her reporting has exposed several major scams and systemic failures, including insurance frauds, waste management irregularities, illegal arms manufacturing units in Nuh, illegal mining in the Aravallis, organised crime networks and governance lapses affecting millions of residents. Known for her investigative work and exclusive stories, Leena has reported on high-impact national issues, including the Nicaragua charter flight carrying Indian migrants that was turned back amid allegations of human trafficking, exposing the growing network of illegal immigration rackets. Her work has also focused on gang wars, prison administration, juvenile crime, women and child protection systems, the functioning of the Juvenile Justice Board and Child Welfare Committee, and environmental challenges such as pollution, waterlogging and deteriorating civic infrastructure. Beyond hard news, Leena has extensively documented Haryana's rich heritage, forests and wildlife, bringing attention to the state's historical landmarks, biodiversity, conservation efforts and ecological challenges through immersive reportage and feature writing. Her journalism has consistently gone beyond breaking news. She has documented Gurugram's rapid urbanisation through long-form narratives and enterprise reporting on issues ranging from pothole-ridden roads, flooding and waste management to the changing social fabric of India's Millennium City. She also writes widely read feature columns, including The Outsider, Changemaker, and Concern for Gurugram, profiling people, places and ideas shaping the city's identity. Leena is the author of Gurugram School Murder, published by Juggernaut Books, a deeply reported account of one of India's most high-profile school murder investigations. She is currently working on her second book, an investigative work exploring some of India's most significant scams and fraud investigations. Beyond print journalism, she has expanded her storytelling through public speaking and digital media. She is a TEDx speaker and has produced podcasts exploring Gurugram's transformation, civic challenges and untold stories. Her work reflects a commitment to narrative journalism that combines rigorous reporting with compelling storytelling. A law graduate with an MBA in Human Resources, Leena brings a multidisciplinary perspective to her reporting, particularly on governance, public policy and legal affairs. She has travelled extensively across India to pursue investigative assignments, often reporting from remote locations and conflict-prone areas in search of stories that matter.Read More