Revenge fueled by love: Gang targeted Abhiram's friend, new twist in Sreekaryam murder case

SREEKARYAM: The gruesome murder of a 17-year-old boy, carried out by a minor boy and a minor girl with 22-year-old history sheeter Umar Mukhtar, sent shockwaves across the capital city on Monday. All three are now in custody. The victim, Abhiram (17), was killed out of a motive rooted in a romantic vendetta. The teen’s body was stuffed into a sack and dumped in a thicket. Abhiram is the son of Madhu, an auto-rickshaw driver, and Dharmaja, natives of Netaji Lane in Sangeetha Nagar, Pangappara, Sreekaryam.

Abhiram left home around 3:00 PM on Sunday, telling his family that he was going to meet his friend. When his father called him later, Abhiram replied that he would be home soon. Shortly after, his phone went into switched-off mode. Abhiram failed to return home by night, and rightly, his father and relatives felt suspicious and filed a complaint with the Sreekaryam police.

An investigation conducted by the Cyber ​​Cell, focusing on Abhiram’s phone, revealed that he left home after receiving a call via Instagram from a girl. Subsequently, further inquiries centred on phone records led to the questioning of several other individuals. Based on the information gathered, two people—including a 17-year-old—along with an underage girl, were taken into custody, questioned, and later released. They were summoned again for further questioning on Monday, during which a crucial piece of information emerged.

The accused confessed to summoning Abhiram, roughing him up and kicking him to the ground, and then killing him. They further admitted to placing the body in a sack and abandoning it in a deserted, overgrown area near the Peroor Junction in Pangappara. The police subsequently recovered the body. The 17-year-old suspect was brought to the scene later on Monday night as part of evidence collection. City Police Commissioner Arul B Krishna said that the accused confessed to the crime.

Relatives and residents staged a protest in front of the Sreekaryam Police Station last night, alleging police ineptitude. They said the police initially failed in their efforts to locate Abhiram. Abhiram’s mother and sister are currently abroad. He was a first-year Humanities student at the NSS Higher Secondary School, located near M.G. College.

However, the police have received another piece of crucial, though unconfirmed, information: it appears the group had actually targeted a friend of Abhiram—someone who was close to the girl. They had called Abhiram’s friend and asked him to come, but he sensed danger and did not show up. This resulted in the gang putting their focus on Abhiram instead. Reports indicate that Abhiram was killed while attempting to escape from the spot after learning about their ill intentions.