A five-year-old boy was killed allegedly by three students who studied in the same madrasa in North East Delhi, the police said on Sunday. The three students, aged between 9 and 11, committed the crime as they wanted a holiday to be declared in the madrasa -- a morbid idea they got from watching a crime show.
At around 10 pm on Friday, a woman called the police control room from outside Madrasa Taleemul Quran in Dayalpur area of Delhi. She informed them that her five-year-old son, studying in the madrasa, was sick and suspected that something wrong had happened to him.
After the call, the cops arrived at the location where the mother sat with her child, who had blisters on his neck, back and waist.
The police immediately admitted the child to a nearby hospital where he died during treatment. Based on the mother's statement, the police conducted a post-mortem on the child.
The post-mortem report, released on Saturday, stated that the cause of the child's death was not a disease, but many serious internal injuries caused by physical assault. The report prompted the Delhi Police to register a murder case and begin an investigation.
The police scanned through CCTV footage of the madrasa and talked to the friends of the child and other students. Based on the questioning, the police identified three boys -- two of them aged 11 and one 9 -- who had committed the crime.
According to the police, the three students wanted to get a holiday and visit home. On being asked why they targeted the particular boy, they noted that he used to call them names.
Further investigation revealed that the three got the idea for the murder-invoked holiday from a crime show they watched on TV.
At present, the madrasa is locked and all the children have been sent home. The police are now proceeding in accordance to the law of the Juvenile Justice Board.
