14-year-old killed over illicit relationship

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, March 19

A 14-year-old, Class VII boy, is suspected to be killed by her sister and her alleged lover for a threat by the boy of exposing their relationship in the family.

Deceased Arshdeep was the only brother of four sisters. On March 16, the boy went missing from his residence on Duareana road in Kotkapura.

While for the past three days, the family members were desperately searching for him, the police were able to crack the case on Monday with the help of mobile call details of the suspected accused.

As the body of the boy has not been received yet, the police have registered a criminal case against Sarbjeet Kaur, the sister and Gurpreet Singh, a cousin of the deceased, under Section 367 and 120-B of the IPC (kidnapping or abducting in order to subject person to grievous hurt).

The case has been registered on the complaint of Chhinda Singh, the father of the deceased.

The police investigation revealed that Sarbjeet Kaur was in an illicit relation with her first cousin (son of father’s sister) Gurpreet Singh of Sikhanwala village in Faridkot.

Both Sarbjeet and Gurpreet were suspecting that Arshdeep knew about their relationship. They were apprehending the boy would disclose it to the family.

In their plan to kill the boy, the conspiracy also has the angle of usurping the agriculture land of Chhinda Singh, in the absence of a male heir.

According to investigation, on March 16, Gurpreet Singh lured the boy to accompany him to Faridkot and took him near the Rajasthan Feeder canal.

The boy was pushed into canal, the police said on the basis of interrogation of the accused.

The police zeroed in on the accused after getting a tip-off from a youth in the village. The mobile phone call details of both accused further strengthened police suspicion.

KC Prashar, SHO, Kotkapura, said the police were searching for the body of the deceased. Even the services of divers are being taken to locate it in the canal, the SHO said. Further legal action against the accused would be taken after the recovery of the body, he said.