Four minors brutally killed their 26-year-old friend over a desire to flaunt a smartphone in Bhuj town, Kutch.
The body of the victim, Rahul Mochi, was found in a well on Tuesday night.
The investigation began when Rahul’s family reported him missing. Rahul, a native of Delhi, lived at the Air Force Station in Bhuj and had disappeared since August 1. On Wednesday, authorities swiftly detained the four minors and presented them in juvenile court.
Rahul had recently purchased a new smartphone, which he proudly flaunted to his friends. One of his friends desperately desired a phone but couldn’t afford one. This envy led him to conspire with three others to take Rahul’s phone forcibly.
Inspector Bharat Modhwadia of Bhuj City B-division police station told a media section, “Upon examining Rahul’s mobile call detail records, we found a suspicious number. We got the details of this number and questioned its owner, who is a minor. He confessed to the murder.”
The minor revealed that he and his friends frequented the hotel where Rahul worked, forging a friendship. However, envy over Rahul’s new phone consumed him. Unable to afford one himself, he involved his accomplices in the crime.
On August 1, they lured Rahul to a deserted area behind a women’s shelter in Bhuj. There, they attacked him with a stone, strangled him and disposed of his body in a well, secured his legs with a rope and stole his phone.
Sub-inspector JK Bariya of B-division police station filed a murder case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Samhita (BNS). The investigation further revealed that the four minors worked as casual labourers.
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