CHENNAI: Nearly six months after a 15-year-old boy went missing, three persons including two juveniles have surrendered to the police and claimed that they had murdered the boy and buried his body at a crematorium in Nungambakkam.
Police said P Rajesh used to work as a daily wager along with his parents and the family lived on the pavement. He had two elder brothers and one of them had a murder charge filed against him.
The murder of Rajesh came to light when one of the suspects M Bharath Kumar, 19, a resident of East Namasivayapuram in Choolaimedu, confessed to his father.
“Bharath’s father works as an office assistant at the secretariat and learnt that his son was called for police inquiry. When he questioned Bharath, he confessed and immediately the father asked him and his associates to surrender to the police,” said the officer.
“On January 14, Rajesh allegedly borrowed `50 from his mother and went to meet his friends but never returned. Since he had not returned home for more than two days, his father Perumal filed a missing complaint,” said a police officer. An FIR was filed and the police launched a search for the boy.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, Bharath Kumar and two of his juvenile friends went to the Nungambakkam police station and confessed that they had murdered the boy and buried him in the crematorium on the same day that he went missing.
“An investigation revealed that Rajesh was a drug addict and would demand money from the boys. On January 14, he similarly demanded `500 from the suspects who, in a fit of rage, allegedly hacked him to death. The juveniles worked in the crematorium and that made it easier for them to dispose of the body,” said the officer.
A senior police officer said that two months ago, the same boys were called for inquiry but they never revealed anything.
On Monday, the police arrested Bharath Kumar and also one more person Vicky alias Vignesh, 18. The police sent the two juveniles to the government observation home.