Kidnappers had killed boy before making ransom call as mother went around in auto with cash

BENGALURU: Preliminary investigation into to the kidnap and murder of 13-year-old boy Nishchit has revealed that the arrested accused had killed him even before making the call for ransom. The kidnappers slit the child’s throat and set him on a rock at a deserted spot near Kaggalipura road shortly after kidnapping him.

Gurumurthy and Venugopal, the killers, murdered the child around 8 pm. At 1 am, they called the parents from a stolen mobile phone and demanded Rs 5 lakh in ransom. The killers had planned to escape after receiving the money and they tried to avoid leaving behind any evidence, police sources said.

Meanwhile, the child’s mother was searching for her son, with Rs 5 lakh in cash in her hand, from 11 am to late at night, without any food. The killers had been calling the mother Savitha on WhatsApp every half hour to leave Rs 5 lakh at a particular location, to make a video and send it to them. She went around in an autorickshaw at night, visiting places like Yelachenahalli, Doddakallasandra, JP Nagar, Mega City, Jayadeva Hospital and Mico Layout.

When she got exhausted and was resting, she received a call from the police about a boy who had been murdered and partially burnt. Upon learning about her son’s murder, the mother collapsed on the spot.

The investigation, being conducted by the Hulimavu police, has revealed that there was previous enmity between the parents of the deceased child and the accused. The accused has been taken into custody for further interrogation. The investigation so far suggests that the murder was not committed for money, as the accused demanded ransom only after killing the child. The police are trying to determine the exact reason behind the murder.