In a shocking incident in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut, a 17-year-old boy has been arrested for allegedly murdering his close friend, Abhinav, after a dispute over blackmail. The accused, who is a minor, confessed to the crime, stating that his friend had stolen explicit videos and photos from his phone of his girlfriend and had begun blackmailing her. The tragic incident unfolded on Saturday, leading to the murder of Abhinav, a fellow student, and neighbor.
Abhinav, a Class 11 student, and the accused, who is in Class 12, were neighbors and close friends. Both were preparing for engineering entrance exams and traveled together daily to their coaching classes located 15 kilometers from their homes. The two teenagers were often seen riding a scooter together, with Abhinav driving and the accused sitting pillion.
Murder Plot Unfolds After Blackmail Allegation
On Saturday, Abhinav and the accused set off for their coaching session as usual, but Abhinav did not return home by evening. His concerned parents questioned the accused, who claimed to have no knowledge of Abhinav’s whereabouts. Later that evening, Abhinav’s father, Sunil Kumar, filed a missing person report with the police and expressed suspicions about the accused.
Investigators soon brought the accused in for questioning, and upon reviewing CCTV footage, the police confirmed the two teenagers had been together that day. During interrogation, the accused confessed to having killed Abhinav. The teenager revealed that Abhinav had seen explicit videos of his girlfriend on his phone, which he had then stolen and transferred to his own device. Abhinav reportedly began blackmailing the girl, demanding that she meet with him. When the girlfriend informed the accused about the blackmail, he decided to take matters into his own hands.
The Crime and Aftermath
The accused told police that on Saturday, he and Abhinav went to a shop to sell his phone for Rs 8,000. They later dined at a restaurant before stopping near a tubewell on their way back. It was there that the accused allegedly took a hammer from his bag and struck Abhinav on the head. The accused continued to hit Abhinav, even after he fell to the ground. Police recovered Abhinav’s body on Sunday, and it was handed over to the family.
In a tense turn of events, Abhinav’s relatives refused to cremate his body until they received justice. They raised doubts about the accused acting alone and demanded that authorities investigate further, suspecting there may be others involved in the murder. “Police should not mislead us. They should tell us the truth, about who all were involved. We should know what happened to our boy,” said Kuldeep, a relative of the deceased, as reported by NDTV.
Police Action and Investigation
Meerut City SP Ayush Vikram Singh confirmed that the police had recovered both the body and the hammer used in the crime. He also noted that the accused would be produced in court, as he is a minor. “We have taken the accused into custody. He is a minor and he will be produced in court. We will scan the CCTV footage to see if anyone else is involved in the crime and take action,” he stated. The police have assured Abhinav’s family that all involved in the crime will be brought to justice.
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