Khurda: Commissionerate police have cracked the murder of a 14-year-old boy from Benapanjuri village under Jatni police station in Khurda district.
DCP Prateek Singh informed that the murder took place over tuition fee.
“On being informed, we immediately launched an investigation and began gathering clues in the incident. We seized a school uniform and other materials packed inside a school bag from the crime spot. That led us to preliminary identification of the accused”, the DCP said.
Singh said that Shubham was attacked Wednesday by a Plus-II student while studying alone at home. The accused used to take tuition from the father of the victim and did not pay Rs3,000- Rs 5,000 pending tuition fees.
The DCP informed that the victim’s parents are private tutors.
Singh said that the accused confessed before the police that he had committed the murder out of vengeance after repeated asking by the victim’s father.
“They were repeatedly asking him for the money in public. He felt humiliated. To vent his anger, he went to their house and attacked their son with a knife, leading to his death. We have so far seized the weapon of offence, his bag among other things. The scientific team is collecting important evidence from the crime spot. After the completion of the investigation, we will produce the accused before the Juvenile Justice Board,” he added.
On the other hand, the father of the deceased Manoj Paltasingh refuted the statement of the DCP. “I don’t believe the DCP’s statement that one will kill for Rs 3,000.”
Manoj has demanded a CBI probe into the incident.
“The accused has stopped taking tuition from me since 2022. I never asked for money as he was my distant relative. I don’t even remember the pending amount”, Manoj said.
Meanwhile, some locals have sided with Manoj. They disagreed with the version presented by the police.
Some parents of students who take tuition from Manoj said that Manoj has a reputation for his good teaching skills. He never asks for tuition fees.
PNN