Mumbai: A 16-year-old friend of the two teenagers booked for the murder of a three-and-a-half year old girl last month will be the police’s star witness in the case.
The victim, Junera Khan, lived with her family in Kazipura Nagpada and went missing on December 5 last year. On December 26, the J.J. Marg police had booked two 17-year-old boys from the same locality for allegedly using chloroform on her and strangling her with a cell phone charger wire at one of their residences, after which they allegedly dumped her body in the same area. The boys then called Junera’s father and demanded ransom.
According to police sources, investigations have revealed that a friend of the accused learned about the murder a few days after it was committed. “The boys, who were scared after killing Junera and seeing all the policemen descend on the locality after her parents approached the police, had confided in this boy. He also knew about their plan to call her father to Kalwa with the ransom amount to give the impression that she was still alive,” an officer said.
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Earlier this week, it was decided by the police to make the boy a witness in the case. The police have recorded a detailed statement from him. “Investigations have confirmed that the boy did not have any active involvement in Junera’s murder and the subsequent disposal of her body,” another officer said.
The two teenaged accused, who are currently in the juvenile remand home in Dongri, had allegedly planned the crime for several days before committing it. The police said that they had researched the best possible way to render someone unconscious and then decided on chloroform, as someone told them that it could put someone to sleep for around 22 hours. The spot where Junera's body was disposed of was also selected beforehand by the duo, said officers.