Family members of boy beaten to death in Delhi say not convinced he was thief

Still in disbelief about what had befallen them, the family of the 16-year-old boy said on Saturday they are not convinced by the claim he was attempting to burgle a house when he was caught and beaten to death allegedly by residents in Adarsh Nagar.

His aunt Rekha said he had gone out of the house with his younger brother on Thursday night. "We were sleeping together and we don't know where and when they went in the middle of the night. Nobody saw them leaving. On Friday morning, there was a huge crowd near the railway tracks and somebody informed us that our kid was lying there," she said.

His younger brother had been missing since Thursday night and was found on Saturday, police said.

Rekha said her nephew did not enter the house for burglary. He must have been roaming in the area when the residents caught him and beat him brutally, other family members said.

But police said the boy had entered the house to commit burglary and was caught by the residents and neighbours who allegedly thrashed him. He was later taken to a hospital and he succumbed during treatment.

The boy was the eldest of six siblings and his mother died three years ago. His father, Amjad, used to work as a plumber but had stopped working three years ago due to health issues. His grandmother has a shop in the area and she manages the family expenses.

"Had he been a thief, they would have recovered stolen items from him. Had he stolen anything, if yes, then they should have informed us. Why did they kill that innocent boy?" the grandmother said.

His aunt said they know the accused, "as they are our neighbours but there is no friendship, neither we have any grudges with them".

"He was a very good boy. He could not do drugs. He was sweet and innocent and never behaved rudely with anybody," she said.

One of the neighbours said the boy's father was shocked to see his body. "He was brutally thrashed," the neighbour said, demanding justice for the boy's family.

"The accused, who have killed the minor boy, must be punished," he said.

However, the residents of the house which the boy entered said he was involved in robberies previously.

"The deceased had snatched mobile phone of my son earlier. Early Friday, when he entered our house, my son saw him and tried to catch him. He had gone to the terrace and jumped from there, following which my son followed him and caught him. In the meantime, the neighbours gathered and people started beating him and later informed police," said Anita, the wife of the house owner.

An FIR under Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the IPC was registered at Adarsh Nagar police station and the house owner and five others were arrested. One person was apprehended.