Delhi youth arrested for murdering minor girl during robbery

A youth was arrested in New Delhi for allegedly murdering a minor girl and drugging her mother and brother before robbing their house, the police said today.

The arrested has been identified as Prakash, who was the victim's neighbour in central Delhi's Patel Nagar. His arrest came yesterday, ten days after the incident.

"About four years ago, he married a South Indian girl after which his family cut off relations with him. He was residing in a rented house. He worked as a painter but for the last six months, he was unemployed and was in dire need of money. So he committed theft in the house of the complainant," a senior police officer said.

On August 16, he allegedly gave Sushila, the mother of deceased Sunaina, and the child's brother cold drink laced with sedatives.

"While he was committing theft in the house, Sunaina returned home from school and started crying seeing her mother and brother unconscious on the floor. Prakash feared that he would be caught. He took the girl to the kitchen and slit her throat with a knife," the officer said.

He fled with Rs8,000, a gold chain and a silver anklet.

Prakash was on the investigators' radar from the day one as he went missing from his rented accommodation, where he was living for the past 18 months.

The police also found that he had left Delhi and gone to Chennai by air. A team went to Chennai but it was learnt that he was flying back to Delhi, the official said.

"However, he did not reach Delhi and got down somewhere on the way. The police team kept on tracing his locations through electronic surveillance.

"He was traced to Jaipur and when a police team went there, he fled. However, due to constant surveillance, he could be finally arrested from Shadipur Depot in Delhi," the officer said.