Two juveniles held for murdering 17-year-old

› The accused took the victim near the bank of a canal and murdered him with a sharpedged weapon by attacking his neck and then threw the body in the canal.

GURPREET SINGH BHULLAR, SSP

JALANDHAR: Rural police arrested two juveniles on charges of brutally murdering a 17-year-old boy of Shahpur village on July 8 late night and later dumping the body in a canal in Phillaur town of the district.

Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Gurpreet Singh Bhullar accompanied by SP investigation Balkar Singh and deputy SP (H) BIS Kahlon said both the accused and the victim were well-known to each other.

Bhullar said one of the accused had an affair with a minor girl of the village and he was suspecting that the victim was spreading false rumours about their relationship. Hence, the main accused in connivance with his friend (second juvenile) decided to teach him a lesson and called the victim

outside his house on the pretext of taking a walk in the village on Saturday night, he added.

The SSP said the accused took him near the bank of a canal and murdered him with a sharpedged weapon by attacking his neck and then threw the body in the canal after dragging it for a few yards.

Bhullar said the victim’s parents made a number of calls on his mobile but got no response. Hence, they moved out searching for him but failed.

He also stated after the getting information on Sunday morning that blood-stained slippers of the victim were found near the canal, the police called swimmers who fished out the body after an hour and five police teams were set-up to crack the case.

The SSP said both minor accused have been produced in the juvenile court and have been further sent to a juvenile home in Hoshiarpur while role of the girl is also being investigated.

The police also recovered the sharp-edged weapon and a motorcycle bearing registration (PB-10-AR-4347) used in the crime. As the accused dragged the body before throwing it in the canal, there were blood stains on the ground too.

A case under Sections 302 (murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) has been registered against them. The victim’s father runs a cycle repair shop in the village.

SSP SAID ONE OF THE ACCUSED HAD AN AFFAIR WITH A MINOR GIRL OF THE VILLAGE AND HE WAS SUSPECTING THAT THE VICTIM WAS SPREADING FALSE RUMOURS ABOUT THEIR RELATIONSHIP