To reconstruct Pradyuman murder, CBI takes student to knife shops, school

A 16-yearold schoolboy accused of slitting the throat of Pradyuman Thakur, his junior at the Ryan International School in Gurgaon, was on Thursday taken to knife shops and will also be taken to school as a CBI team tried to reconstruct the murder.

The CBI questioned the Class 11 student in custody for six hours before taking him to select shops to find out where the murder weapon -a knife may have been bought. Sources say in the next two days, he will be taken to his school so he can retrace his steps on September 8, when seven-year-old Pradyuman was found murdered in a toilet near his classroom.

Investigators have told a Juvenile Court that the teen confessed to the crime in the presence of his father, independent witnesses and a social welfare board member. The motive, apparently, was to delay an exam, but the CBI is yet to find clinching evidence.

The agency, for the first time investigating a child for another child’s murder, was on Wednesday granted custody of the student for three days.

Pradyuman Thakur’s autopsy report didn’t mention sexual assault, which made the CBI wonder about the police investigation.

Pradyuman, a Class 2 student, was found murdered some 15 minutes after he was dropped off by his father, along with his older sister at 7.55 am.

Seven hours later, the police told the media that they had the killer. Schoolbus conductor Ashok Kumar, they said, murdered Pradyuman after trying to assault him sexually. They claimed that they had recovered the knife from him.

The botch-up, according to the CBI, started from there.

When the students were questioned, they mentioned a Class 11 student who was seen with a knife earlier.

The investigation changed course. The CBI examined extended and scientifically enhanced CCTV footage from near the toilet and saw the teenager near the bathroom.