GREATER NOIDA: Police in Greater Noida have arrested two more accused in connection with the fatal thrashing of a 17-year-old Dalit boy on October 15 allegedly by a group of men in an area under the Rabupura police station, officials said on Saturday, adding that the victim succumbed to his injuries days later.
The two absconding accused, arrested on Saturday, have been identified as Rachit and Ankit, both in their 20s, residents of Rabupura. Rachit was held from Kheda underpass, near the service road, Rabupura , and Ankit from Sector 18, Yeida area, police said.
“Efforts are on to trace and apprehend the remaining suspects over the crime. We have intensified the search”, said SHO (Rabupura police station) Sudhir Kumar.
Assistant commissioner of police (ACP 4) (Greater Noida) Sarthak Sengar. said, “We were initially charging them with attempt to murder but now, all four have been booked for murder”.
On October 19, the police had arrested two other accused — Yuvraj and Jeetu alias Jeetendra, both residents of Rabupura, and in their 20s, and sent them to jail, police informed.
The teenager and his uncle were allegedly beaten with sticks by a group of men during a birthday celebration but finally rescued due to intervention of some family members present on the occasion, police said.
While both the victims suffered severe injuries in the attack, the 17-year old succumbed during treatment on Friday (October 24) at a hospital, prompting the police to upgrade the charges in the case to include Section 103(2) (murder) of the BNS, said officials.
Police said on Saturday, that the assault appears to have stemmed from a dispute over one’s upmanship and led to violence. Four teams have been formed to track down the other accused.
The complainant (a relative of the deceased) stated in the FIR that the “17-year-old was out with his family to celebrate his birthday when a group of 10-12 people arrived at Syed Pokhar, a place in Rabupura, and attacked them. Carrying sticks and iron rods, they began hurling abuses and casteist slurs, and also issued threats.”
On Friday, Jewar MLA Dhirendra Singh visited family of the deceased in Rabupura and assured of quick action in the case.
The accused have been charged under multiple sections of the BNS including Section 103 (murder), 191 (rioting), 190 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 352 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace), and 309(4) robbery, besides relevant sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, police said.
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