2 minors kill man by slitting his throat, steal his iPhone to create ‘high-quality reels’     

Two minors allegedly killed a man by slitting his throat and then crushed his head with a stone to steal his iPhone to create “high-quality reels” for more likes, police said on Saturday.

Police have held both the accused and initiated investigations.

The victim, Shadab (19), who lived in Bengaluru, was visiting his ancestral village of Nagaur in Bahraich for his maternal uncle’s wedding.

Additional Superintendent of Police, Ramanand Prasad Kushwaha, said that the incident occurred on the night of June 20.

“Shadab was reported missing on June 21, and his body was discovered later that day near a dilapidated tube well in a guava orchard outside the village. Shadab’s throat had been slit with a knife, and his head was bludgeoned with a brick,” said the officer.

Based on their investigation, police on Saturday held two minors aged 14 and 16.

“During questioning, the two teenagers confessed to the crime, saying that they needed a high-quality mobile phone to make better reels. They admitted to planning the murder four days earlier, specifically targeting Shadab’s iPhone,” said the officer.

“On the night of the incident, they lured Shadab to a secluded area outside the village on the pretext of making reels. There, they attacked him, slit his throat and then crushed his head with a brick,” the officer added.

Police recovered Shadab’s iPhone, the knife used in the murder, and the brick.

A case was registered against four individuals, including the two minor accused and their family members, under sections 103(1) (murder) and 238 (concealment of evidence) of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS).

While the minors and their family members initially fled their homes after the discovery of the body, both teenagers were held on Thursday.

One of the accused’s relatives, who allegedly helped hide the weapon, was arrested on Friday and sent to jail. The search for the fourth adult accused is going on, police said.

Station House Officer (SHO) of Dehat, Daddan Singh, confirmed that both juveniles have been sent to the Divisional Juvenile Reform Home in Gonda.