New Delhi: A wave of juvenile crime has recently overrun the streets of Delhi, with disturbing incidents showing an alarming inclination towards violence among young offenders.
In one ghastly case, a 17-year-old boy was stabbed over 70 times during a street robbery in November. The accused minor, arrested in connection with the heinous act, appears to have hinted at his violent tendencies through his social media presence.
The juvenile culprit shared videos on his social media account showcasing knives, firearms, and even footage of himself within court premises, projecting a criminal image that may have fuelled a misguided sense of pride.
One video featured a caption, “Bhai hai apna, jail mein 302 mein andar (He’s my brother, locked up on a murder charge under Section 302),” suggesting a casual attitude towards the grave charge he faces.
Days after the arrest, disturbing visuals emerged showing the accused dancing callously over the body of his victim, seemingly “celebrating” the horrific crime.
CCTV footage captured the assailant dragging the victim into a narrow lane, repeatedly stabbing him to make sure he died, and ending with a macabre dance over the body.
The incident occurred at Janta Mazdoor Colony in North-East Delhi’s Welcome area, and the motive behind the murder was robbery. The victim was choked, stabbed multiple times, and robbed of Rs 350, leading to his death at GTB Hospital.
The juvenile had also killed a man along with three others for robbing him Rs 100 in Delhi’s Jafrabad in 2022.
“In 2022, the juvenile was sent to a correctional home for the murder. He came out after a one year sentence while the other three are still in prison,” said a source.
“He was inspired by the infamous Hashim Baba gang and wanted to create terror in the area,” said the source.
This incident follows an earlier case in November, where a minor stabbed and killed a 16-year-old boy in Delhi over personal enmity.
According to the police, the juvenile revealed pre-existing enmity with the deceased, stating that the stabbing was an act of revenge. The assailant targeted the victim’s neck and hand during the murder.
In October, a 25-year-old man named Ganga Ram, a.k.a Sanjay, was stabbed to death by a juvenile in south Delhi. The motive behind this crime was reportedly the alleged harassment of the juvenile’s girlfriend.
The accused, apprehended in a forested area, claimed that the stabbing was in response to the victim’s harassment of his girlfriend.
In yet another incident in October, the Delhi Police arrested two juveniles in connection with the death of a 18-year-old youth named Kashif.
The juveniles, both school dropouts and residents of the same locality, were involved in a scuffle with Kashif, leading to fatal injuries. Kashif, armed with an improvised pointed tip screwdriver, threatened the boys, resulting in a scuffle where one of them snatched the screwdriver and stabbed Kashif multiple times.
The rising trend of juvenile crime in the national capital raises concerns about the factors leading to such violent behaviour among youngsters.
(Shekhar Singh can be reached at shekhar.s@ians.in)
–IANS