Mumbai, March 2 (NationPress) - In a shocking incident, three minors have been apprehended for the alleged murder of their 14-year-old friend, whose body was discovered in Vihar Lake. The Mumbai Police reported on Monday that the trio attempted to disguise the act as an accidental drowning.

The grim details emerged following a post-mortem examination which dismissed the possibility of drowning. It was determined that the victim, identified as Siddharth Londhe, succumbed to a critical head injury inflicted by a blunt object. Investigators found no water in his lungs or abdomen, confirming he did not drown.

The three suspects, aged between 14 and 15, were brought before the Juvenile Justice Board and subsequently placed in the Dongri remand home. One of the accused was Siddharth’s classmate, while the others were Class 8 students from a different school in Bhandup. All four boys resided in the same neighborhood in Bhandup West.

Siddharth, a Class 8 student, lived in Tulshet Pada with his family, including his father, who works as an electrician in Andheri.

On February 22, Siddharth left home around 3 p.m. after lunch, telling his parents he was going out to play. When he failed to return by evening, his family began searching and later reported him missing to the Bhandup Police, who initiated a kidnapping case since he was a minor.

The next day, Siddharth’s grey T-shirt and black slippers were discovered near Vihar Lake. The fire brigade was called, and his body was retrieved from the lake later that evening. Initially, an Accidental Death Report (ADR) was filed, with authorities suspecting drowning.

During initial inquiries, two of the minors claimed they had gone swimming and said Siddharth drowned despite their efforts to save him. They were released while awaiting the post-mortem results.

However, the findings contradicted their accounts. The police summoned the boys again for questioning, during which they reportedly confessed to having assaulted Siddharth.

According to investigators, the boys were upset with Siddharth, whom they perceived as arrogant, and decided to “teach him a lesson.” They took him near the lake where one of them allegedly struck him on the leg with a bamboo stick. As Siddharth bent down in pain, another boy struck him on the back of the head with a stick, resulting in a fatal injury.

Upon realizing he was unresponsive, the boys panicked. They stripped him of his T-shirt and slippers, placed them near the shore, and disposed of his body in the lake to stage it as a drowning incident. Police have since launched a murder investigation, with further inquiries ongoing.