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10-year-old’s murder in Mumbai: Accused watched film with boy before bludgeoning him to death
One of the two people, who are accused of kidnapping and killing 10-year-old Ritesh Singh from Powai, said he first sat and watched a movie with the kid and then
One of the two people, who are accused of kidnapping and killing 10-year-old Ritesh Singh from Powai, said he first sat and watched a movie with the kid and then took him to his accomplice’s shop, where he murdered him.
The police said Amar Singh, 20, the accused, who knew Ritesh’s family, saw his father Babloo Singh with Rs20,000 in cash and planned the crime to get some money, said the police. He orchestrated the crime with his accomplice Lalu Singh, 21. Both the accused stay in Powai near the boy’s residence in Tunga village.
The police said Amar kidnapped Ritesh, a class 3 student, from his house on Sunday afternoon.
He took him to a nearby workshop and later took him to Bhayander to watch a movie. “We have secured their custody for seven days. The accused did not make a ransom call,” said Anil Pophale, senior inspector at Powai police station.
Babloo, who knew that Ritesh was with Amar, called the accused in the evening, but Amar said he had dropped Ritesh near Valmiki temple in Powai in the afternoon and left.
During interrogation, Amar told the police he saw Babloo with Rs 20,000 and thought he might be able to cough up money if he demanded. The accused had thought of demanding Rs2.5 lakh but never made the ransom call, said the police.
“Looking at the way he kidnapped the boy, it appears the accused did not spend much time planning the crime. We suspect he killed the boy to avoid being caught,” said an officer.
Amar used to often take the boy along with him to play, his father told the Powai police. The police have recovered a piece of cloth used to strangle the boy and the stone that the accused used to bludgeon him.
Ritesh’s body was found at the same spot where a few months ago, a four-year-old child was raped and murdered.
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