A 16-year-old boy was lynched by locals in north-west Delhi’s Mukundpur in the early hours of Tuesday on suspicion that he had allegedly entered a house to steal valuables. Two people have been arrested while four others are absconding, said the police.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (North-West) Aslam Khan said the six accused have been identified as brothers Nand Kishore, Raj Kishore, and Triveni, all auto drivers; and neighbours Deshraj, Sohan Lal and Sant Lal. Nand and Raj have been arrested while Triveni and the three neighbours are absconding, said Ms. Khan.
The accused allegedly told the police that the minor, hailing from Bihar, was caught around 3.30 a.m. on the third floor of their residence. They said that the boy was accompanied by two men.
“The accused said that the boy wanted to commit theft and was caught by them. They shouted and the neighbours came, after which all of them thrashed the teenager for close to two hours,” Ms. Khan said.
The accused then threw the boy out of the house. The minor’s body was spotted by neighbours around 6 a.m.
Locals who took pictures of the body said that the minor was found in his briefs with a black cloth around his waist; his left leg was bruised and there were injury marks all over the body.
The teenager was living with his uncle in a house located in the next street.
The deceased’s uncle, a daily wage labourer, said the boy was last seen around 11 p.m. when they all went to bed. “Five of us, including two of his brothers, live in a rented room. He came back around 8 p.m. after roaming around and was with us till we slept,” he said.
‘Had no need of money’
The uncle said that he was informed of his nephew’s death by a neighbour around 7 a.m. after the police had already reached the spot.
“We had no idea. We were informed by a neighbour who knew that he was my nephew. We ran and found him lying on the street. He had been lying there dead for hours,” he said.
The family said that the teenager had come to Delhi from Kanpur only 20 days ago. He was studying in a madrasa but had left it saying he wants to quit studying. His 46-year-old father is a daily wage labourer working in Noida and his mother lives in Bihar.
The family claimed that the boy had no need for money as his daily expense was paid by his brothers and uncles. “He was also learning plumbing and electrician work. He never shared that he needed money,” the uncle said.
Ms. Khan said that two cases have been registered in connection with the incident. “One case has been registered on charges of theft, stealing property and house-trespass against the deceased. Another case has been lodged on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, common intention, and causing disappearance of evidence against the accused,” she said.
Sources said that the accused beat the boy with a wooden plank which they threw in the nearby garbage dump.