Video of son's body shatters mother; 12-year-old found dead in northeast Delhi, stepfather under suspicion

A 12-year-old boy was found dead with grievous injuries on his body in northeast Delhis Shastri Park area on Friday, with police suspecting his stepfathers role in the chilling case that has left his family devastated, police said.

A 12-year-old boy was found dead with grievous injuries on his body in northeast Delhi's Shastri Park area on Friday, with police suspecting his stepfather's role in the chilling case that has left his family devastated, police said. In a disturbing turn of events, relatives said the boy's mother received a video from an unknown phone number on Friday morning, purportedly showing his son in a grievously-injured condition. The woman fainted on seeing the footage. Police received information about the boy around 9:50 am and rushed to a spot near the Shastri Park chowk loop, where the Class-7 student was found lying unconscious. He was rushed to the Jag Pravesh Chandra (JPC) Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. The boy had multiple injuries, including wounds on his head and in the eyes. Marks of serious assault were noticed, prompting a detailed forensic examination, police said. The deceased, described by relatives as a sports enthusiast, had gone out to play on Thursday evening after returning from school but did not return home. The family searched for him through the night. Police said the boy and his brother were dropped at their house around 6:30 pm on Thursday by their stepfather, Wajid Khan, an e-rickshaw driver aged between 35 and 40 years. The phone from which the video was sent has since been switched off and Khan is suspected to be on the run, police said. According to the relatives, the mother of the deceased married Khan in 2020, after her first husband died of jaundice in 2019. ''Initially, things were normal but gradually, he (Khan) began to resent the children from her first marriage,'' Rashid, the deceased's brother-in-law, told PTI. He said the two younger boys were staying in a hostel at Daryaganj but had recently returned home, which had led to frequent arguments between the couple. ''He would ask why the boys had come back. There were regular disputes at home and my mother-in-law was deeply upset,'' Rashid said. The deceased is survived by his mother, a married sister and two brothers aged 18 and 13. ''A case under section 103(1) (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita has been registered at the Shastri Park police station,'' a senior police officer said. A forensic team has inspected the scene, and blood samples and other exhibits have been preserved for a scientific analysis. The body was later sent to the Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital for post-mortem. Further investigation is underway, police added.

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