Ryan school murder case: 16-yr-old wasn’t a suspect, could not find any motive, says Gurgaon Police

At the JJB in Gurgaon on Wednesday. (Express photo by Manoj Kumar)

As part of its probe into the murder of Pradyuman Thakur, the Gurgaon Police had questioned the juvenile apprehended by the CBI — “as a witness”. According to police, the boy was the first responder to the crime and was not treated as a suspect as “there did not appear to be a motive”. Sources told The Indian Express that hours after the incident, police had questioned teachers, students and staff to ascertain the exact sequence of events. “The apprehended 16-year-old was also questioned as he informed the gardener and teachers on finding the body inside the washroom,” police sources said.

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Police sources said the needle of suspicion pointed towards the conductor, Ashok Kumar, as two students claimed they spotted him loitering near the washroom before the body was found. Eventually, police zeroed in on Kumar and produced CCTV footage as evidence of his involvement. Sources said the special investigation team probing the case was still collecting evidence against Kumar and recording statements of students, teachers and staff.

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Defending the police probe, Gurgaon Police commissioner Sandeep Khirwar said they never declared anyone a culprit in the case and will take action only after the CBI concludes its investigation. “The bus conductor was arrested at an early stage… we never completed our investigation or filed a chargesheet against him in court… It was our earnest intention to solve the case as soon as possible; we conducted the investigation based on physical evidence we had at hand,” he added.

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