Mumbai: Boys strangulated 3-year-old to death after mother's arrival

Mumbai: The teenage boys accused of murdering a three-and-half-year old girl from Nagpada area for a ransom of Rs 1 crore, "panicked and strangulated" the child after the mother of the little one knocked their door in her search, police said.

"They took the abducted girl, who was unconscious after administering chloroform, to the house of one of the accused who stays in the neighbourhood. When the minor's mother knocked their door to see whether the girl was at their home the duo panicked and strangulated the child with wire of the mobile phone charger," said a senior police official.

Both the accused had abducted the girl from the first floor of Haji Kasam Chawl of Kajipura, where she stayed, on December 5, police said.

He added, "The accused duo also refused entry to the girl's mother on the ground that one of them was having a bath. They later put the body in a polythene bag and kept it on terrace of the building."

Police suspect that the accused, who are students of a college in south Mumbai sourced chloroform from the science lab.

On interrogation the accused have confessed to the crime and revealed the whole sequence of events, claimed police.

The accused were impressed with the economic status of girl's father, as they used to see people in expensive cars coming to meet him and hence planned abduction for ransom, said the official.

They demanded Rs 1 crore from the girl's father who happens to be a scrap dealer. However, the amount was later scaled down to Rs 28 lakh after he expressed inability to pay the amount.

They asked him to come to Parsik tunnel in Thane district and throw the money bag there after which they will leave girl near the railway track, police said.

However, the accused fled from the spot after they spotted police alongwith the father of the girl.

The girl was killed the same day (December 5) she was abducted and even before her parents approached J J Marg police with a missing complaint.

Meanwhile, the Juvenile Justice Board has sent both the accused to Observation Home till January 2.

The incident came to light on Saturday night after the girl's body was recovered from the chawl after one of the accused who was questioned by police on suspicion confessed to the crime after which police went to the site where the body was dumped. The duo was arrested on Sunday.