Uttrakhand teen shot dead over social media feud, 2 arrested

RUDRAPUR: Two men were arrested in Kichha, US Nagar district, for murdering a 17-year-old boy over a social media feud, the police said on Friday. On Thursday, Vikrant Baagi, son of an auto-rickshaw driver, was near Meharaya Lalpur Road in Kichha on an errand when a group of six to seven men shot him.

He died while undergoing treatment. An FIR was filed un- der relevant BNS sections, inclu- ding 103 (murder), following a complaint lodged by the victim’s mother, Kanchan Rani, against Bunty Thakur and five others. “The accused, 21-year-old Varun Kumar of Kichha and 24- year-old Sushil Singh of Rudra- pur, were arrested on Friday from the Dhadha Farm area whi- le trying to flee to Nepal,” SHO Ravi Kumar said. Varun’s father works at a factory, while Sushil’s father is a chicken seller. Police said, during interro- gation, the two arrested men dis- closed that a prolonged ex- change of provocative posts and statements on social media had fueled the fatal shooting. Howe- ver, exact details regarding the online feud are awaited as police are yet to question the main ac- cused, Bunty Thakur, who is cur- rently hospitalised. SSP Ajay Ganpati said that police are acting swiftly to track down the re- maining suspects.

“Criminals have no place in this district.”