Indian teen arrested for killing 11-year-old at madrasa because he ‘didn’t want to study’
- Victim’s decomposed body was found buried in the basement of a mosque located on the madrasa’s premises
- Suspect, 13, hoped the madrasa would shut down once the body was discovered and the children studying there would be sent home, police say
Indian police on Sunday arrested a teenage boy for allegedly murdering an 11-year-old student at a madrasa – an Islamic religious school – in Nuh district.
The decomposed body of the victim was found buried under sand in the basement of a mosque located on the premises of the madrasa last Monday, prompting an investigation by police.
The Indian Express newspaper reported that the boy had been missing for two days before his body was found.
Maulana Zakir, the director of the madrasa, told local media that the boy was discovered missing when attendance was taken on September 3, adding that the boy’s family was informed and people began to search for him in nearby villages.
Nuh district police superintendent Varun Singla said the suspect, a 13-year-old student at the school, had allegedly committed the murder because he hoped outrage over the incident would shut the school down.
“He hoped that once the body is discovered, the madrasa would shut down and all the children studying there would be sent home,” Singla told local media. “He had packed his bags and was ready to leave.”
The teen’s father arrived at the school after news of the death, but refused to let his son leave and, instead, told him to stay and focus on his studies, Singla added.
As the investigation continued last week and police started questioning students, the boy grew nervous and confided in his father. The boy’s father informed the police, and the boy confessed to the crime after being questioned for two days, police said.
“Our probe found that he allegedly zeroed in on the 11-year-old boy as the latter was gullible and easily influenced. They also got along and played together. His reasoning was that he could lure him to the room [in the mosque] on the pretext of playing,” Singla said.
This was not the boy’s first time wanting to leave the madrasa; police said he had attempted to escape from the school on at least two occasions but his parents had brought him back.