2 Minors murder friend over Rs 250 cricket match bet

MP | 23 April 2017 11:18 PM | Kolkata: Police arrested two minor boys in connection with the murder of their friend following a quarrel over non-payment after losing a bet on a match of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The incident took place at Liluah in Howrah on Saturday and the boys were arrested late on Saturday night.

Police said that the boys will be produced before the juvenile court. They have confessed that the incident is an outcome of a scuffle over the bet on an IPL match.

A police officer said that there were four boys when the incident took place in a deserted area near a waterbody at Liluah and all of them are of the age group of 12-14.

Investigation revealed that the victim and three of his friends went to the waterbody like all other days on Saturday as they used to go their almost every day to watch people fishing in the pond. But it was known to none of their family members that they used to meet to bet on IPL matches.

The victim had lost a bet to one of the three friends and he had to give him Rs 250. But he had no money to give and it got delayed by some days. 

Meanwhile, the victim was to get Rs 750 from another friend as he had won another bet. The trouble broke out when the victim had cleared his due by giving Rs 250 to his friend but didn't get Rs 750 from the other friend. A heated altercation took place among the victim and two of his friends with the fourth one standing there as an onlooker. It finally led to a scuffle and the victim was hit one his head by a heavy brick.

He died on the spot. Realising that they would get arrested, the accused boys dumped the body in a jungle and covered it with bricks. Their friend, who was not involved in the crime and witnessed the incident as a mere onlooker, was threatened by the two boys. They had even forced him to take an oath by touching the feet of the victim's body that he would not reveal it to anyone. But the matter came to light when the police 

initiated a search for the victim as his parents lodged a complaint with the police after he went missing.