Hospital sweeper kills 15-year-old boy with a surgical blade

NEW DELHI: A man who works at a hospital as a sweeper killed a 15-year-old boy with a stolen surgical blade in west Delhi’s Khyala last week, police said on Monday.

Apart from a monetary dispute, the killer held a grudge against the boy as his older sister he ‘liked’ recently got married, Deepak Purohit, deputy commissioner of police (west) said.

The DCP identified the alleged killer as 25-year-old Sanju, a sweeper at a private hospital in west Delhi. He lives with his two brothers in Raghubir Nagar.

Devender, a class 10 student, lived with his parents and siblings in the same neighbourhood. On Friday afternoon, the boy left his home to play with his friends but did not return. By evening, the police registered a missing complaint and began a search.

His body was found near a drain with his throat slit in the same neighbourhood late at night. The DCP said Devender was last seen with Sanju, adding the boy’s family suspected his hand behind the murder.

“Sanju was infatuated with Devender’s older sister. He had been angry ever since she got married recently,” the DCP said. The officer said they were also involved in a dispute over ₹30,000.

Sanju initially denied killing the boy. “He said he was at home during the evening hours when the murder happened. This contradicted bis brother’s statement, who said Sanju had left home in the evening. Sanju’s mobile phone location showed him at the murder spot around that time,” said another investigator.

The police found scratches on Sanju’s arms. “The victim left those scratches while struggling. We took him to a doctor who confirmed our suspicion. He finally confessed to killing the boy,” said the investigator. The DCP said Sanju had sneaked out a surgical knife from the hospital.