Ludhiana: A 16-year-old boy has died in hospital four days after being ambushed and hacked by a gang of armed juveniles while running errands in the city.Sahil, had recently finished his Class-X examinations and was travelling by motorcycle with his cousin to purchase vegetables on May 21. When the pair neared a govt service centre by the Phullanwal stadium, a large group of teenagers waiting with swords and other bladed weapons confronted them.Sahil’s family claimed he had scrambled off the motorcycle and attempted to flee on foot, but the attackers had chased him down and struck him repeatedly. His family came to the scene after receiving a panicked phone call from the cousin and moved the teenager to a private hospital, where he died on Sunday.The Sadar police have registered a first-information report (FIR) for murder, armed rioting, and unlawful assembly against four identified juveniles and 12 unidentified accomplices.The boy’s father, Sanjeet Ram, a local painter who lives in one of the labour quarters, said the family had remained entirely blindsided by the extreme violence. Sahil’s father and cousin both stated they had no knowledge of any prior disputes or reasons why the boy was targeted.Investigating officers confirmed that the primary suspects were also 16-year-olds who had recently completed Class X. While they attended a different school than Sahil, police established that the teenagers were known to one another.Sub-inspector Dharminder Singh, the additional station house officer of Sadar, said investigators suspected a previous unresolved argument or personal rivalry to have triggered the lethal assault. A manhunt is on for the fugitive teenagers to establish the motive behind the killing.
