17-year-old boy beaten up by two men for photo on social media with gangster: Police

New Delhi, June 7

A 17-year-old boy was allegedly beaten up and threatened with a pistol by two men in Delhi’s Chaawla area over a photo uploaded on the social media by one of his friends, in which they could be seen with a “criminal”, police said on Sunday.

The boy was active on Tik-Tok, they added.

The incident, which was recorded on a mobile phone, took place on June 3 and the video clips went viral on the social media on Saturday, following which the police said they contacted the boy and registered a case.

In one of the videos, the boy is seen being abused and attacked by the two men. Holding a pistol in his hand, one of the men threatens the boy and says: “I will make you a Tik-Tok star now.” He is also seen slapping the boy.

The boy is heard apologising to the men several times.

In another video, one of the men is seen attacking the boy and pointing a gun on his head. He says: “You want to be a gangster…. Say sorry now.” The boy then apologises to them.

During an enquiry, the boy told the police that one of his friends uploaded a profile picture on WhatsApp of them standing with a gangster named Ashu.

Ashu is a murder accused, who is currently lodged in Bhondsi Jail. The boys know him as they lived in the same area, a senior police officer said.

The boy had warned his friend against uploading a photo with a “gangster” but his friend did not remove the photo, he added.

However, when the WhatsApp photo came to the notice of Ashu’s associates, they thought the boys were trying to be a part of their gang and so, they attacked one of them, the officer said.

The police said they would question Ashu in connection with the incident as the boy alleged that the men were sent by him.

All angles are being probed, they said, adding that one of the accused had been identified, while efforts were on to identify the other and arrest them. PTI