Kidnapped for ransom, Amritsar youth murdered by drug addicts

Charanjit Singh Teja
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, August 13

A 16-year-old boy, who was kidnapped for ransom, was murdered allegedly by drug addicts in Verka on Monday. The police have arrested four persons for the murder and kidnapping of Prabhkeerat Singh, a resident of Guru Nanakpura, Verka.

The accused abducted Prabhkeerat as they knew that his parents were working in the education department and can pay the ransom.

Kashmir Singh, an uncle of the deceased, said around 6 pm Prabhkeerat left home with his cricket kit. When he did not return by 8 pm the family members launched a search and found his scooter parked nearby.

While youngsters of Nanakpura were looking for him, some of them found Prabhkeerat’s body at Fatehgarh Sukharchak canal gate. 

He was rushed to Fortis hospital, where doctors declared him
brought dead.

Baljeet Singh, father of the victim, said the accused were involved in drug trade and were also addicts.

The accused confessed to police that they kidnapped Prabhkeerat for money. Prabhkeerat resisted his abductors in a car he was bundled into and tried to escape. While trying to overpower Prabhkeerat, the accused strangled him with a cord. They dumped his body into the canal and returned to ‘mohalla’.

The accused tried to mislead those who were searching for Prabhkeerat. When people found the body, the accused escaped but were later arrested. The police also recovered the car and cord used in the crime.

Prabhkeerat was a student of class 11 at DAV Public School and used to play cricket. Police officials stated he had no rivalry with the accused. A case of murder has been registered against the four accused identified as Vicky, Ajay, Deepu and Govind.