Two juveniles allegedly murdered a 23-year-old man by slitting his throat using a broken beer bottle in southeast Delhi’s Govindpuri on Saturday night.
The two accused, aged nine and 10 years, were apprehended two hours after the incident and sent to a correction home. The police said an enquiry had been initiated under the Juvenile Justice Act.
According to the police, the deceased, Sanjay Kumar was known to the two accused. “The juveniles, both ragpickers, reportedly came to Sanjay to ask for some money to have food. Sanjay, a florist, was consuming alcohol and asked them to go away. When the juveniles refused to go, he reportedly got angry and slapped one of them,” a senior police officer said.
This angered the juveniles and an argument broke out between the three. The juvenile slit Sanjay’s throat with a bottle and the other hit him on the chest. Kumar, who started to bleed profusely, tried to escape but collapsed on the way.
“Sanjay sustained a deep wound that caused excessive bleeding. He reportedly tried to hold it together and escape from the spot but collapsed on the ground and fell unconscious. He was then rushed to the hospital and declared dead on arrival. His body was sent for a post mortem examination,” police said.
Following the incident, the police recorded statements of the locals and found out that the juveniles were addicted to drugs and had been involved in petty thefts. “The juveniles were apprehended within two hours of the incident. The locals helped us trace their hideout. They reportedly used to sit and drink with Sanjay and even shared food with him on several occasions,” a senior police officer said.
