Gurgaon: Another juvenile likely to be treated as adult for double murder

The 16-year-old is alleged to be a repeat offender and was involved in a car jacking incident recently

The Juvenile Justice Board is being seen to be setting a precedent by ensuring that juveniles accused of heinous crimes are treated as adults.

The 16-year-old juvenile is currently lodged at the Faridabad observation home. (HT PHOTO)

In January alone, the Juvenile Justice Board in Gurgaon decided that three juveniles be treated as adults, as they had committed serious crimes and their social background and social investigation reports stated that they were well aware of the consequences and still was involved in such crimes.

Police said a 16-year-old juvenile accused of a double murder and lodged in an observation home in Faridabad is likely to be treated as an adult after the social investigation report is submitted before the Juvenile Justice Board. The reason why the juvenile is likely to be treated as an adult is that he is alleged to be a repeat offender and was involved in a carjacking incident recently. He has already spent 15-days in the observation home for the crime before he was granted bail.

The juvenile was apprehended in connection with the double murder of his friends at Gadoli Khurd, which is around 15km from the city. He allegedly hacked them to death along with three more friends and their bodies were burnt and buried close by to the spot by them on January 22.

“The juvenile had chopped the legs of his friends and had taken out petrol from the motorbike to burn the bodies. He played the leading role in the murder and confessed to the crime during questioning,” said inspector Sandeep Kumar, SHO, Sector 10A police station, said.

According to the police, the juvenile is a repeat offender and left studies after he was arrested for carjacking. Since being granted bail, he is alleged to have joined a group of hardened criminals and hardly spent time at home.

“I had hoped he would become responsible after the incident, but things went from bad to worse as he fell into bad company and started coming home late. Child offenders aren’t reformed after spending time in jails and observation homes and instead, fall into bad company. They even join criminal gangs,” said the mother of the juvenile, who has lost all hopes to get her son back to the right track.

Read I Gurgaon Juvenile Justice Board has declared 25 minors as adults since 2016

A 16-year-old student was treated as an adult after he allegedly murdered a class 2 student of the same school on September 8. Four juveniles were apprehended this year and their reports will be submitted before the end of the month.

The JJ Board members said this was the first case which got media attention, as, over the last two years, 25 juveniles were declared to be tried as adults. At an average ,15 to 17 juveniles are produced before the board every month.

Past incidents where juvenile was treated as an adult

June 09, 2017: A five-year-old girl was allegedly raped by her juvenile neighbour in Kanhai village near Sector 45 and a case was registered at Women police station in Sector 51. The victim was medically examined and is now stable, the police said. The 16-year-old accused was sent to the Observation Home, Faridabad.

March 2017: A 17-year-old juvenile was booked for unnatural sex with a 12-year-old boy. He served nine months in a juvenile home and was released in year 2016 but he was again apprehended by the police on May 12, 2016 for raping his 14-year-old sister who was later pregnant.

June 03, 2016: Gurgaon police arrested three juveniles who were involved in murder and robbery in Sector 5. They were sent to the Observation Home. Cops had recovered three pistols loaded with bullets from them and the accused were arrested under Arms Act at Palam Vihar police.

November 06,2016: Two juveniles were arrested in connection with murdering a 29-year-old man near the Guru Dronacharya Metro station.They had stabbed the man to death following a brawl.