Andhra Pradesh was lately horrified by the tragic midnight kidnapping and murder of a nine-year-old pupil at a tribal welfare residential school in the Eluru district by two other students from the same school. The boy studying in class 4 was killed by two students in class 10 who also left a letter threatening additional murders in his hand. One of the perpetrators warned, “Whoever wants to live, go away from here because these kinds of things will keep happening from now on,” in Telugu.
The 9-year-old student was brutally murdered in July, shocking the Government ST Residential School in Puli Ramannagudem, a wooded location in the Buttayagudem (bock) of the Eluru district. The boy was discovered dead on the school grounds, close to the dorm. His body included minor scratches close to his right eye and contusion marks around his neck.
He lived in a village about 5 miles from the school and was the son of daily wagers. His older brother is a sixth-grader at the same institution. The family is a member of Andhra Pradesh’s Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG), the Konda Reddi tribe. The shocking instance and the letter threatening further killings had terrified the school administrators and inmates. Ten teams of police had been organised to solve the case.
Peedika Rajanna Dora, the Deputy Chief Minister and person in charge of tribal welfare paid a visit to the institution. He promised the deceased’s family a house plot and a position on an outsourcing basis for the father of the youngster in a government department and he gave his parents a cheque for Rs 10 lakh.
Initially, it was believed that an outsider was responsible for the killing. The role of teachers and other staff members was another area of attention for the police. But the startling revelation from the police probe was that the crime was committed by two kids from the same institution. The victim’s kidnapping and murder were planned and carried out by the two 15-year-old suspects. It was close to midnight when they entered the hostel while donning masks.
One of the culprits went through the unguarded window into the room and unlatched the main door’s latch to let the other youngster in. They turned off the electricity before they went inside the hostel. The youngster was taken away by them who then strangled him to death on the school property across from the dorm building. Officers started interviewing the suspect after comparing the handwriting in the letter with the students’ penmanship. He attempted to flee before eventually admitting that he and another boy were responsible for the murder.
Eluru Superintendent of Police (SP) D. Mary Prasanthi informed, “The two juveniles in conflict with law confessed that they killed the hostel inmate due to personal dispute. They left a letter in the hands of the deceased to divert the course of investigation.”
The details of the disagreement that resulted in the murder were kept private by the senior cop. However, it was discovered that the principal offender had reportedly previously assaulted the deceased youngster both physically and sexually. After the victim turned down his advances for sex, he and a fellow student planned and carried out the murder.
According to police officials, to prevent negative habits from developing, teenagers enrolled in residential schools far from their families should receive appropriate counselling.
