In a shocking incident, a 19-year-old man was killed in Uttar Pradesh鈥檚 Bahraich last week by four of his friends who wanted to steal the victim鈥檚 iPhone to create social media content and earn money through views.
The police have detained two juvenile accused while a search was launched for the other two accused 鈥 both adults 鈥 on the run.
The deceased, identified as Shadab Ansari, had returned from Bengaluru to attend his maternal uncle鈥檚 wedding in Bahraich鈥檚 Nagraur village. He went missing soon after the post-wedding feast on June 20. Two days later, his decomposed body was discovered in an abandoned structure in an orchard, about 500m from the village.
The investigation revealed that four of his friends had plotted to kill Shadab to steal his iPhone. On the day of the crime, they lured Shadab to a secluded spot on the pretext of shooting videos. There, they slit hi throat and assaulted him with bricks before escaping with his cellphone.
SP (City) Ramnand Kaswa said that the police detained two juvenile accused, who not only confessed to the crime but also unapologetically admitted to the greed that drove them to commit the same. 鈥淲e are searching for the remaining two accused, Zulfiqar and Abed Ahmed alias Raju Netaji,鈥 he added.
Residents, including Shadab鈥檚 relatives, protested outside the SP鈥檚 office, demanding justice for the teenager. They also accused the local police of negligence, claiming that officers didn鈥檛 act promptly despite a missing person鈥檚 report being filed. CO Pahunp Singh and SHO Daddan Singh met with the protesters, assuring them of strict action.