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Siliguri: Man, minor held for murdering 15-year-old boy
The body of the minor, who had been missing since Saturday afternoon, was found late Monday night in the New Chamta forest.
A 24-year-old man and a 15-year-old boy have been arrested for allegedly murdering another 15-year-old boy near Siliguri in north Bengal, police said on Wednesday. Investigators suspect the crime may have stemmed from tensions over a girl, with police probing allegations that one of the accused had been stalking her.
The body of the minor, who had been missing since Saturday afternoon, was found late Monday night in the New Chamta forest, nearly 10km from his residence. A resident of Matigara in Darjeeling district, the Class X student had left home on Saturday afternoon. His family lodged a missing complaint on Sunday.
“We have arrested a minor boy, who is the victim’s friend and is of the same age. The man Kajol Paswan (24), alias Raj, has been arrested. Investigation is going on,” said Rakesh Singh, deputy commissioner of police.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the three had left the village together. When the victim did not return home late on Saturday night, his family handed over the other minor boy to the police. Based on the information provided by him, police launched a search operation and used a drone to locate the body. Paswan, who was initially on the run, was later arrested.
“Paswan and the minor boy strangled the victim and dumped his body in the jungle,” Singh said.
Police said they are examining whether rivalry over the girl, including alleged stalking and related disputes, may have triggered the killing. “A love angle and money could be the motives behind the murder. We are investigating,” Singh added.
Another police officer said, “He was murdered the same day he went missing while the missing report was lodged the next day.”
The victim’s sister alleged that her brother and Paswan were interested in the same girl and had a confrontation a few days earlier. She also claimed that Paswan had been persistently following the girl. “My brother and Paswan used to love the same girl and there was a fight between the two a few days ago. Paswan teamed up with the boy to murder my brother,” she said.
Tension prevailed in the locality on Tuesday evening when the victim’s body was brought home. Local residents blocked the busy road at Matigara demanding Paswan’s arrest. He was later arrested.
