16-year-old boy abducted, murdered in Delhi; 3 minors in custody

New Delhi: A 16-year-old boy was kidnapped and murdered in the Wazirabad area of north Delhi for a ransom of Rs 10 lakh, a police officer said on Wednesday. Police took three juveniles into custody in connection with the crime, reported PTI. The Class 9 student was taken to an isolated spot near Bhalswa Lake, where he was repeatedly stabbed, the officer said.

"The family members of the boy had received a call regarding a ransom of Rs 10 lakh. Later, they found his body," the officer stated. On Monday, the victim’s family lodged a complaint at the local police station, reporting that he had been missing since Sunday. The boy was a student in Mukherjee Nagar.

"During the investigation, it was found that the missing/kidnapped boy was last seen with three boys, two of them aged 16 and 17, on a motorcycle on Jharoda Pushta Road," the officer said. CCTV footage from the area confirmed this.

Upon being apprehended, the three juveniles confessed to committing the crime for ransom. On Sunday, the minors invited the victim to join them on a motorcycle ride. They then took him to a forested area near Bhalswa Lake, where they attacked him with a knife and left him for dead. The trio later fled the scene.

The following day, they used the victim's SIM card to call his father, a driver, demanding Rs 10 lakh in ransom. "The body of the victim was found by a police team at the instance of the apprehended juveniles," the officer added. According to police sources, the suspects also attempted to dismember the victim’s body.