13-yr-old killed by dance mentors: ‘He was interested in dancing and this interest got him killed’

“Sometimes, he used to practice at home, but we told him only studies would help,” said Rajesh, sitting disconsolate at his home in South Delhi’s Badarpur area. “We just wanted him to complete Class X and wished he would look for job along with continuing studies thereafter,” added Rajesh, who works in private security.

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The accused allegedly abducted Sopnesh on September 15 and took him to Uttarakhand. Desperate to make it to a popular dance show on TV, the duo wanted a ransom of Rs 60,000, according to police. However, they developed cold feet and allegedly strangled him with a belt at a hilltop in Ranikhet and pushed the body from the cliff, said the police.

On September 15, Rajesh said his son went to school in the morning. “When he did not return home, we looked around. We got to know he was last seen with his two dance mentors near his school,” added Rajesh.

According to Madhu, they called the two dance mentors, who said they did not know where Sopnesh was. “On September 19 at 2.30pm, we received a call demanding a ransom of Rs 60,000. We had already lodged a complaint at Badarpur police station and told the police about the call,” said Madhu.

Despite having killed the boy, the duo tried to extort money from his family and this led to their capture, said the police.