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Five days after a 10-year-old girl was murdered in her home in Hyderabad’s Kukatpally, police have arrested a 14-year-old boy in connection with the crime.
The child in conflict with law (CCL) is a neighbour and a class 10 student, who had entered the girl’s house intending to steal her brother’s cricket bat, police said. According to the police, the CCL had carried a knife to threaten anyone who might spot him and allegedly stabbed the girl when she saw him leaving and tried to stop him.
“He would often play cricket with the victim’s six-year-old brother. He liked the bat but the younger boy would not give it to him. He said he had been planning to steal it for a couple of days,” Balanagar Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) K Suresh Kumar said.
According to the police, the boy lived in an adjacent building that was easily accessible by jumping across the terrace. “He said he knew the girl’s family would leave the door unlocked. He did not know the girl would be home. As she was watching TV, he went into the kitchen from behind her and took the bat. While he was leaving, she saw him and screamed. As he tried to run away, she held his collar, which is when he stabbed her multiple times,” the DCP added.
Cyberabad Police Commissioner Avinash Mohanty announced the breakthrough in the case at a press conference on Saturday, August 23.
The girl was found murdered on August 18 while she was home alone. Despite a thorough investigation, including scanning CCTV footage from the neighbourhood, police initially found no signs of any suspect entering or leaving the building.
“There were limited suspects as CCTV did not show any outsiders, and there was no prima facie motive,” the Commissioner said.
The investigation progressed when a resident mentioned seeing the CCL near the boundary wall on the morning of the murder. Upon questioning, police said the CCL confessed and led them to the murder weapon.
According to the DCP, after the murder, the CCL returned home and covered himself with a cloth. “He put the clothes he was wearing in the washing machine, but we found traces of blood stains,” the DCP said.
The stolen cricket bat and the clothes worn by the accused at the time of the offence were seized.
The Commissioner added that the accused had washed the knife and his hands, changed his clothes, and attempted to behave normally to avoid suspicion.
“His mother said she found his behaviour suspicious and asked him twice, on the day of the murder and the next day, if he had anything to do with the crime. At first he did not admit to it. Later he told her it looked like she would get him caught,” the DCP said.
Police said the boy initially tried to mislead investigators by claiming he had heard noises of the girl screaming. The DCP also noted that a handwritten note was recovered, detailing a plan to steal money from a safe. He added that the CCL frequently skipped school and watched many crime thrillers and suspense or mystery shows.
The Child in Conflict with Law was produced before the juvenile justice court.
Meanwhile, the victim’s parents accused the police of diluting the case. They, along with relatives, staged a protest outside Kukatpally Police Station, demanding the harshest punishment for the accused. They disputed the police version that the boy entered the house to steal the bat and murdered the girl only when he was caught.
State SC ST Commission Chairman B Venkataiah met the victim’s parents and gathered details of the incident.
(With IANS inputs)