CHENNAI: Four boys, studying between classes IX and XI at a government school in the city, allegedly murdered a 19-year old youth on Friday, apparently angered by the victim’s attempts to court the sister of one of them.
The incident came to light when two class X students walked into the MGR Nagar police station at 3 pm on Monday and said they had come to surrender for a murder they committed three days ago.
The officers initially took the surrender as a prank but they realised the seriousness of the claim when Mangadu police confirmed they found a decomposed body at a remote spot in Kolapakkam, where the two said they disposed the body.
A forensic team went to the spot and police recovered the body dumped among the bushes. The deceased youth’s identity was later confirmed as Gurunathan (19), who was residing at Nesapakkam and had been missing since Friday.
The juveniles told police that they murdered Gurunathan when they went to take bath in a well at Kolapakkam.
“The boys said they were angry at Gurunathan as he was continuously trying to court one of their sisters, a class XI student. Gurunathan was a cousin of the girl and had bought her a cellphone and even proposed to her. Her younger brother, who was a class X student, was angry and had confronted Gurunathan,” said a police officer.
The girl’s brother is believed to have committed the murder along with one of his classmates and two of his friends who were class IX and class XI students.
The girl’s brother told police that he was opposed to the love affair as it was incestuous as Gurunathan was a cousin of the girl.
Police said the exact details of events on Friday would be clear only after a detailed interrogation of the juveniles and verification of claims.
“The four boys, along with Gurunathan, had gone to the well at Kolapakkam as usual on Friday. When a quarrel broke out over the issue, the boys said Gurunathan brandished a knife which he had secretly carried with him. The boys said they managed to grab it from him and killed him. But we have to wait for autopsy results and the opinion of forensic team to come to any conclusion,” said the officer.
The boys then managed to carry the body to a deserted spot opposite the brick kiln and dumped it in a bush without anyone noticing them.
What led them to panic and surrender was the attempts by Gurunathan’s mother to lodge a police complaint over her missing son.
“His mother was making enquiries and told people that she was going to lodge a police complaint. Fearing that police would trace them, the girl’s brother and his classmate surrendered at the MGR Nagar police station, while the other two boys had gone to write their exams,” said another officer.
Mangadu police registered a case and questioned the two other boys, aged 15 and 18. Further probe is on.