Teen choked to death over suspicion of stealing ₹1,000; 3 held

A 13-year-old was choked to death over suspicion of stealing ₹1,000 in Lucknow. His body was hung from a tree to make it look like a suicide. Three men have been arrested.

A 13-year-old was allegedly choked to death by a man who suspected him of stealing ₹1,000 from him, in Khushal Ganj village of Lucknow district on Sunday night, police have said.

All three men, who were hired as daily wagers to work in the area, have been arrested and booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 302 (murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) and 34 (a criminal act is done by several persons), the police said (For representation)

The accused, with the help two others, later hung the minor’s body from a tree to make his death look like a suicide, the police added.

All three men, who were hired as daily wagers to work in the area, have been arrested and booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 302 (murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) and 34 (a criminal act is done by several persons), the police said. They were caught by locals who handed them over to the police.

“Romio, 19, Rajendra Rawat, 26, and Raju Yadav, 36, all of whom are from Talkatora, have been booked for murder. During interrogation, they said they were working on an unfinished parcel of land when Romio found out he was short of ₹1,000. They noticed two children playing nearby and thus suspected them of stealing the money. While one of them was able to run away, the 13-year-old was choked to death by Raju Yadav,” Aparna Rajat Kaushik, DCP (Central), said.

“Panicked, they hanged the body with a rope from a nearby mango tree to make it look like a suicide,” she added.