Vadodara: A picnic trip to Daman became the motive for murder, as Vadodara rural police on Tuesday detained a 17-year-old boy for allegedly killing a 66-year-old goat herder to steal his animals and sell them to raise money for the trip.Police on Tuesday detained the boy for allegedly murdering Raman Rathodia (66) in Savli taluka.According to investigators, 50-odd residents of the boy’s village had planned a picnic to Daman. The teenager wanted to join the trip and had asked his family for money.“He wanted Rs 1,600 but his family gave him only Rs 1,000. The boy was intent on going to Daman and wanted new clothes and shoes but didn’t have enough money,” Vadodara rural SP Sushil Agrawal said.Police said that on Friday, when the boy was grazing his goats, Rathodia was also grazing his herd nearby. The teenager decided to steal and sell Rathodia’s goats to quickly raise money.“He didn’t dare sell his own goats due to the fear of his parents and decided to kill Rathodia and sell his goats,” a police officer said.The boy then allegedly struck Rathodia with a stick, causing fatal head injuries. He then took two goats belonging to the victim and left the area.Police said he later contacted a butcher and sold the animals for Rs 9,300. He used some of the money to buy new clothes and shoes and left for the Daman picnic the same evening.The case unravelled when investigators recovered a bloodstained stick some distance away from Rathodia’s body.“The stick bore the boy’s name, so we approached his father for more details. He had no idea about his son’s actions,” Agrawal said.Police analysed call records and identified a butcher whose presence was traced to the area on the day the body was discovered.The butcher told police that he had bought two goats from the teenager. Investigators then questioned the boy, who allegedly confessed to the killing.
