The Faridabad police have arrested an 18-year-old youth for allegedly murdering his 17-year-old friend during an argument over a mobile phone. After the incident, the accused allegedly fabricated a story for the victim’s family and the police, claiming the teenager had drowned in a lake while taking a selfie.
The accused, identified as Mufid (18), a resident of Sirohi village, even assisted the police in searching the body in the lake. However, the police grew suspicious after he repeatedly changed his statement. During questioning, he confessed to the murder.
Acting on his information, the body was recovered on Monday night from among the rocks on a hill, around 200 meters away from the lake. An FIR was registered against the accused and his father at the Dhauj police station.
“During interrogation, the accused revealed that he had asked Rajkumar for his mobile phone to shoot a video, but he refused. When Mufid tried to snatch his phone, the device fell to the ground and broke. An argument broke out between them, following which Mufid pushed him into the ravine,” said a spokesperson for the Faridabad police.
According to a complaint filed by Gaurelal, a mason and a native of Tikamgarh in Madhya Pradesh, he had been living in a rented room in Sirohi village for the past 20 years. He had five sons, all of whom are labourers.
“Around 4 pm on Sunday, one of my sons, Rajkumar, was called out by a friend who lived in the neighborhood. When Rajkumar did not return home by late evening, we made inquiries. His friend told us that he and Rajkumar had gone to the lake. Rajkumar was taking a selfie when his foot slipped, and he drowned in the water. After we informed the police, a search operation was launched in the lake on Monday morning, but the body was not found,” Gaurelal said in his complaint.
Rajkumar’s family members had already become suspicious of the young neighbour as he kept changing his statements. Subsequently, the police took Mufid into custody on Monday evening. During questioning, he confessed to the murder and led the police to the spot where he had hidden the body. Based on the location pointed out by the accused, the police recovered Rajkumar’s body on Monday night.
“We are questioning the accused and also verifying the role of his father. We handed over the body to the family members after the post-mortem examination. Further probe is underway,” said a police officer.
