15-yr-old kidnapped & killed,friends held

Sahil,a student of Pragati Public School,was reported missing on Saturday. His family told police that his friend,Mahesh Kataria (19),had picked him up from home saying they were going to meet other friends.

Police said the three took Sahil to Ganda Nullah area in Sector-16,where he was strangled and his face disfigured with bricks prevent identification.

Additional Commissioner of Police (Southwest) A K Ojha said: “The accused initially gave different versions,but later confessed to the murder saying they had planned to first kill the child and then seek ransom.”

Sahil’s father Surender,who works as a taxi driver at the IGI Airport,said he had received a call from one of Sahil’s friends who told him that he “could pick up (his) son from near the CRPF Gate within half an hour”.

When Surender did not find his son at the location,he called the same number. “The same boy picked up and told me I would never get my son back,” said Surender. He then informed the police.

Sources said the calls were being made from Sahil’s phone.

“I had bought Sahil the phone,but did not give him a SIM card. He was given the instrument only to listen to music. The SIM was given to him by Mahesh on May 10,and it was registered in his mother’s name,” said Surender.

This has led police to believe that the plan to kill Sahil was made a few days ago.

Investigators analysed the call details and a 17-year-old boy was the first to be apprehended. Subsequently,Mahesh and his younger brother,a juvenile,were held.

Police then traced the body to a jungle near Ganda Nullah.