Jaffarpur Kalan murder: 16-year-old to be tried as adult

New Delhi: A 16-year-old boy accused of murdering a man during a robbery in southwest Delhi’s Jaffarpur Kalan will be tried as an adult, following an order by the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB). Police alleged that the juvenile, along with two associates, killed the man last year and later set his body on fire to destroy evidence.The victim left home on June 22, saying he would return soon, but did not come back. His phone was found switched off, prompting his family to begin a search.Police said the victim’s father told investigators that local children had seen him with three youths shortly before he went missing. The children also claimed they later saw the trio returning from nearby fields, with bloodstains on one of their shirts.Acting on this information, a local property dealer called the three suspects to his office on June 23. When questioned about the man’s whereabouts, they allegedly appeared nervous and contradicted one another. The family then alerted police through the emergency helpline.Police reached the office and questioned the suspects. During interrogation, they allegedly confessed and led investigators to a vacant room in a field behind a poultry farm.A partially burnt body was recovered from the spot. A bloodstained yellow T-shirt found near the entrance was identified by the victim’s father. The accused allegedly told police they had consumed alcohol with the man before deciding to rob him of his money and mobile phone. They then allegedly killed him and set the body on fire.A forensic team examined the scene and collected evidence. Police also recovered a bloodstained bamboo stick, suspected to be the weapon, at the instance of one of the accused.The body was sent for post-mortem, and a case was registered at Jaffarpur Kalan police station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for murder, robbery, destruction of evidence and common intention.Police in Dwarka district moved an application before the JJB seeking that the juvenile should be tried as an adult. In its order, the board observed that the accused was over 16 at the time of the offence and that the crime fell in the category of heinous offences. It directed that he should be tried as an adult by the Children’s Court.A senior officer said police typically approach the board in cases involving juveniles aged 16-17, particularly when offences are premeditated or involve repeat offenders.Till Sept 15 last year, police submitted 176 such requests to JJBs, compared with 79 during the same period the previous year. Of these, 23 were approved, allowing the juveniles to be tried as adults. The number of approvals remained unchanged in 2024.