SIVAGANGA: A 14-year-old boy was allegedly murdered by his friends during a drunken quarrel at Keelakavanur near Thiruppattur in Sivaganga district on Thursday.
The deceased, N Ashwin (14) of Karaiyur, was a Class X student at a government higher secondary school in Thirukalapatti. His body was found at the Keelakavanur irrigation tank on Thursday night and sent to the Government Sivaganga Medical College Hospital for post-mortem.
The accused have been identified as S Arvind (24) of Ilanthaimangalam, and S Ganesan (22) of Karaiyur. Their friend, a 17-year-old boy, was also present at the scene. His role in the murder is yet to be ascertained.
Police said the incident occurred on Thursday evening when the four went to consume alcohol. The exact motive is yet to be established as the main accused are absconding. Preliminary inquiry revealed that a drunken quarrel broke out, during which Ashwin was strangled, and his throat was slit. The two youths left the body at the spot, dropped the 17-year-old at his house, and fled.
The murder came to light when Ashwin’s family enquired about his absence with the 17-year-old, who informed them about the incident. Police said the juvenile is a second-year polytechnic student, and the youths have no previous cases.
“The deceased did not go to school on Thursday. The murder is suspected to have occurred during a drunken quarrel,” said a senior police officer.
Based on a complaint from the boy’s father, A Nagaraj (48) of Karaiyur, Keelasevalpatti police registered a case under Section 103(1) of the BNS. Efforts are on to trace the absconding accused. The juvenile is under police monitoring.