In a shocking incident, a minor boy has been arrested in Hathras for allegedly killing a 9-year-old around two months ago, believing that the death of the child would lead to the closure of boarding school, allowing him to return home.
According to news agency PTI, the accused is a 13-year-old boy who confessed to the crime when the police were conducting interviews with other students at the school.
What exactly happened?
On September 26, the body of the 9-year-old student was discovered in the backseat of the school director’s car. The discovery then sparked suspicions that the director and his family may have been involved in a ritualistic “sacrifice” to bring fame to the school and resolve personal issues.
Following this development, five individuals were arrested in connection with the murder and charges of tampering with evidence.
However, in a surprising turn of events, Superintendent of Police Chiranjeev Nath Sinha shared new findings on Thursday.
He revealed that during interviews with the students, police found the suspect, who is also a student had been asking his classmates how to close down the school.
“He thought that with the child’s death, the school would be forced to shut down and he would be able to leave,” Sinha said.
Upon further questioning, the 13-year-old accused admitted to strangling the boy with the help of a towel and CCTV footage from the school showed the suspect walking around with the towel before the incident.
After the alleged murder, the teenager reportedly asked a friend to sleep next to him, claiming he was scared.
The suspect is currently in juvenile detention as authorities continue their investigation into the case, PTI reported.
In somewhat the same incident, the Delhi Police earlier this month, apprehended a 12-year-old student of a Vasant Vihar private school for allegedly “pushing and strangulating” a classmate, who died in hospital hours after the fight.
(With PTI inputs)