Gurugram: 16-year-old held for allegedly murdering 7-year-old child

Police said the suspect allegedly killed the boy with a pair of scissors on Saturday evening, reportedly holding a grudge against him for exposing a mobile phone theft two months ago

Gurugram: A 16-year-old boy was apprehended on Monday for allegedly murdering a seven-year-old child, whose body was found with multiple stab wounds near the green belt along the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) Expressway in Kalwadi village, officials from Bilaspur police station said.

The victim’s body was found with multiple stab wounds near the green belt along the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) Expressway in Kalwadi village.

The minor suspect allegedly killed the boy with a pair of scissors on Saturday evening, reportedly holding a grudge against him for exposing a mobile phone theft two months ago, which led to the accused being forced to apologise to the victim’s father, police said.

During preliminary questioning, the suspect confessed to luring Ashish to an isolated spot and stabbing him 18–20 times before fleeing. He was tracked and apprehended from Kalwadi village in Nuh district late on Sunday evening.

“The suspect has been booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. He will be produced before the Juvenile Justice Board and further investigation is underway,” said Sandeep Kumar, Gurugram police spokesperson.

According to police, the body of the victim, identified as Ashish Kumar, was discovered on Sunday after police received a tip-off about a child’s body lying near the expressway. A forensic team, fingerprint experts, and a duty magistrate were called to the spot to collect evidence. A blood-stained pair of scissors, believed to have been used in the murder, was recovered from the scene. The body was sent to Gurugram civil hospital for post-mortem examination.

In his complaint to the police, the victim’s father, who lives with his family on rent in Fatehpur village, said both he and his wife work for a delivery company in Pathredi. On the evening of July 19, his wife returned home around 7pm and assumed Ashish was playing with friends. Later, the father left for work at 8pm. On July 20, while returning home, he heard about a child’s body found near Kalwadi bus stand. Upon visiting the scene, he identified the body as his son’s. The child had visible stab injuries to his chest and forehead.

The father told police that around two months ago, a mobile phone had gone missing from their home. Ashish had informed him that the phone was with a boy in the neighbourhood. He confronted the boy and retrieved the phone, following which both Ashish and the father asked the boy to apologise. Investigators said the humiliation caused by this incident allegedly prompted the boy to plan the murder.