On July 1, Gurgaon police received a PCR call at 10:45 am reporting the death of a nine-year-old girl at a housing society in Gurgaon Sector 107. The accused, a 16-year-old boy from the same society, had been providing tuition classes to the victim.
The boy was taken into custody, and on Thursday, the Juvenile Justice (JJ) board transferred him to the Juvenile Correction Centre in Faridabad. “The juvenile offender was produced before the court and has been shifted to the centre from police custody,” an official at the Rajendra Park police station confirmed.
According to police reports, the girl’s mother had visited a neighbor’s house with her son on the morning of July 1. Upon returning, she found the gate to her home locked from the inside. Looking through, she saw the accused and detected a burning smell, police said.
With the help of neighbors and fire officials, the woman managed to enter her house, where she found her daughter had been set on fire. Investigations revealed that the 16-year-old boy had first strangled the girl with a dupatta, then set her ablaze.
Police stated that the boy killed the girl after being caught stealing jewelry. An official at the Rajendra Nagar police station explained that the boy, in debt due to betting habits, had stolen the jewelry to repay his debts.
A guard at the housing society mentioned that the juvenile offender’s family, who were renting, had left the premises after being asked to do so by residents. The victim’s family has also returned to their hometown in Uttar Pradesh.