A day after five schoolboys were apprehended for the murder of a 17-year-old boy inside a moving cluster bus, police said the knife was wielded by the oldest child in the group, aged just 16, and that a slap by the victim may have been the provocation behind the stabbing. The boys, aged between 12 and 16, were produced before a Juvenile Justice Board on Saturday, from where they were sent to an observation home. A police officer said the accused bought the knife from Nehru Place over three weeks ago. They would carry it around as “back-up” during their pickpocketing sprees. Police said the accused boys would steal anything they could get their hands on —mobiles, valuables, pens and even cigarettes. Most of the time, the petty crimes would go unreported. On Thursday evening, their target was 17-year-old Mohammad Anas, who boarded the crowded bus at Ashram Chowk and was murdered at New Friends Colony. Anas was heading home to Jamia Nagar after meeting his father, whose vehicle had broken down. Police said the juveniles, instead of going to school, gathered at Ali Gaon bus stand and started looking for potential targets. As Anas boarded bus number 479, they spotted his Redmi mobile phone. “As soon as Anas entered the bus, one of them flicked the mobile from his pocket and passed it to another boy. Anas spotted the boy and caught him. He started shouting, asking for his mobile back. When they refused, he allegedly slapped one of them and a scuffle ensued. The boy who was carrying the knife stabbed him on the neck and jumped out of the bus by using the pressure button to open the door,” said the officer. One of them got out from the front door, while the others deboarded from the rear. Afterwards, they rushed home. Police said that while they did not tell their families about the incident, they did brag about it to other children in the locality. Meanwhile, district DCP Romil Baaniya said staff at every police station in the southeast district was put on alert. The only clue they had was that the accused were wearing school uniforms. A WhatsApp message was sent to beat constables to track boys who skipped school on Saturday, and had been previously involved in petty incidents on buses. “During investigation, we picked up over 200 youths and teenagers,” said Baaniya. Eventually, police from Badarpur sounded an alert about some boys who might have been involved. Police teams were sent to Badarpur and the boys were picked up from their residences. The mobile and knife was recovered from the residence of the eldest boy. Police said they have several witnesses, including the bus conductor and driver. Their statements have been recorded and a test identification parade will be conducted soon.
