Jaipur: Eleven days after a decapitated body was recovered from a drain in Muhana, city police on Sunday solved one of Jaipur’s most shocking child murder cases by detaining three boys aged 11 and 12 for allegedly killing their 10-year-old friend to avenge an objectionable remark he had made about one of their sisters.Police said the victim, who had been missing since June 14, was lured to a “party” by the three juveniles — two brothers and their 12-year-old maternal cousin — before being strangled with a scarf and attacked with a knife.The three minors have been detained, and proceedings are being initiated under the Juvenile Justice Act, police said.DCP (South) Rajarshi Raj Varma said the victim’s decomposed body was recovered from a drain in the Muhana police station area on June 25. With the face beyond recognition, family members identified the boy from the clothes he was wearing. The family, originally from Bihar, lives in a rented house in Jaipur.According to police, the victim and the accused were neighbours and close friends. During the investigation, a team led by Muhana SHO Gur Bhupender Singh questioned residents, tracked the victim’s last movements, and repeatedly interrogated people known to him.Police said that while the two brothers continued moving around the neighbourhood normally after the body was recovered, their cousin remained indoors and avoided stepping out. The contrasting behaviour raised suspicion and sustained questioning eventually led to the breakthrough.Investigators said the juveniles revealed that about a month before the murder, the victim had allegedly made an objectionable remark about one of their sisters, leading to a quarrel. They allegedly decided to take revenge.On June 14, the three boys allegedly invited the victim to a secluded drain on the pretext of a party, carrying snacks and soft drinks with them. After eating together, they allegedly overpowered him, strangled him with a scarf, and stabbed him with a knife. “The accused, after strangling the boy, stabbed him three times — once in the neck and twice in the lower body,” Singh said.Police said the body was then dumped into the drain.
