Teenagers Kill Bengaluru Youth to Steal iPhone for Making Instagram Reels

NDC DESK

Lucknow: In a chilling incident, two minors allegedly murdered a 19-year-old youth by slitting his throat and crushing his head with a stone in order to steal his iPhone, which they wanted for creating “High-quality Instagram reels”, police reported on Saturday.

Authorities have arrested both juveniles and initiated an investigation.

The victim, Shadab (19), a resident of Bengaluru, had traveled to his ancestral village of Nagaur in Bahraich district to attend his uncle’s wedding.

“The incident took place on the night of June 20. Shadab was reported missing on June 21. Later that day, his body was discovered near an abandoned tubewell in a mango orchard on the outskirts of the village. His throat had been slit with a knife and his head smashed with a brick”, said Additional Superintendent of Police Ramanand Prasad Kushwaha.

Based on the investigation, police apprehended two minors aged 14 and 16 on Saturday.

“During questioning, the teenagers confessed to the crime, stating that they wanted a high-end mobile phone to create better Instagram reels. They specifically targeted Shadab for his iPhone and admitted to planning the murder four days in advance”, the officer said.

On the night of the incident, the accused lured Shadab to a secluded area outside the village under the pretext of filming reels. There, they attacked him, slit his throat, and bludgeoned his head with a brick.

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

A case has been registered against the two minors and two of their family members under Sections 103(1) (murder) and 238 (destruction of evidence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).