COIMBATORE: Two minor boys have been taken into custody for allegedly murdering a 13-year-old boy following a quarrel in Coimbatore.
The victim, identified as B Rithish, the elder son of Bharathiraja from Irugur Colony, had gone fishing in a canal near his neighbourhood with two friends on May 15. One of the boys, aged 15, is a Class 10 student at a government school in AG Pudur, while the other studies in Class 8 at the same school.
According to police, Rithish, a Class 7 student, had stopped attending school to take care of his younger brother. When he failed to return home, his parents questioned the two boys who had accompanied him. The boys allegedly told them that an unidentified man claiming to be a relative had taken Rithish away on a two-wheeler.
Suspecting abduction, Bharathiraja lodged a complaint with the Singanallur police. A case was registered, and investigators examined CCTV footage from the surrounding areas in an effort to trace the boy.
Police said the footage did not show Rithish leaving with any stranger, prompting officers to question the two boys further. During interrogation, they allegedly confessed to the crime.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the 15-year-old boy, who was allegedly under the influence of alcohol, attacked Rithish with a liquor bottle before smashing his head with a stone. After the boy died, the accused allegedly buried the body in slush near the canal. Police said the murder is believed to have stemmed from a quarrel after Rithish allegedly spoke ill of the 15-year-old boy’s parents. Further investigation is underway.