Teens kill classmate for gold chain, fund birthday party, bike in Thane: Police

The Kasarvadavali police have booked the two minors under Sections 103(1) (murder) and 238 (destruction of evidence) of the BNS.

A birthday bash and a dream of buying a motorcycle allegedly led two Class 12 students to murder their 17-year-old schoolmate, burn his body and attempt to cover their tracks by throwing his mobile phone onto a moving bus. The two minors, both residents of Azad Nagar in Thane, allegedly killed the teenager to steal his 7-gram gold chain, worth around ₹1 lakh, hoping to use the proceeds to fund a birthday party for a friend and buy a motorcycle, police said.

This is the spot where the accused allegedly murdered the victim and attempted to burn the body. (Praful Gangurde/ HT Photo)

The Kasarvadavali police arrested the two minors after an investigation into the teenager’s disappearance led them to the murder. The accused, who police said had recently watched Ajay Devgn-starrer suspense thriller Drishyam 3, allegedly drew inspiration from the film while planning the crime and attempting to mislead the police.

Cops probe murder

According to the officers, the victim left his home at around 7pm on September 24 but did not return. His father approached the police the next day, following which a case of kidnapping was registered.

The police officers examined footage from at least 80 to 90 CCTVs but initially failed to find any trace of the missing boy. As the probe continued, however, the police began suspecting that the two minors were withholding crucial information. They analysed mobile phone data and questioned the suspects again. Upon fresh questioning on Thursday, one of the minors allegedly confessed to the crime, leading the police to the spot where the body had been dumped.

The accused allegedly told investigators that they had lured their schoolmate to an isolated location near Brahmand Phase 2 on Ghodbunder Road on the night of September 24, on the pretext of smoking cigarettes. Once there, they allegedly stabbed him multiple times with a knife and crushed his face with a stone before concealing his body in the bushes.

The following day, the duo allegedly returned to the spot with petrol and set the body on fire in an attempt to destroy evidence. Acting on their disclosure, the police found the half-burnt body on Thursday.

Officers said the alleged plan extended beyond the killing. The accused broke the victim’s mobile phone and threw it onto a moving bus, hoping that its changing location would mislead the police while they tracked the missing teenager’s phone and tower-location data.

“The minor accused had very sound knowledge of destroying evidence. But they were weak in their studies. We found that the alleged motive behind the crime was the minors’ desire to celebrate one of their friends’ birthday and purchase a motorcycle. They conspired to commit the crime after watching the film Drishyam 3,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Zone V, Prashant Kadam said.

The Kasarvadavali police have booked the two minors under Sections 103(1) (murder) and 238 (destruction of evidence) of the BNS.