Daltonganj: Three youths have been arrested for allegedly kidnapping and killing a minor boy at Patki on NH-39 on Sunday, Latehar SDPO Sadar Sandip Kumar Gupta said.The accused—Arbaaz Alam (21), Sameer Ansari (18), and Kamlesh Kumar Singh (19)—were sent to judicial custody on Monday. Alam is from Bendi village, Ansari was temporarily staying there, and Singh is from Patki.Police said Alam was in a relationship with the 12-year-old boy’s sister, which the boy opposed. Alam allegedly conspired with Ansari and Singh to blackmail or eliminate him.On Sunday, Alam called the boy to Patki, promising to end the relationship, police said. He then allegedly claimed he had obscene photographs of the boy’s sister and demanded Rs 1 lakh to prevent their circulation.Following an argument and scuffle, Alam allegedly beat the boy and threw him in front of an approaching tipper truck on NH 39 to make the death appear to be a road accident, Gupta said.The injured boy took Alam’s name while he was undergoing treatment at Sadar Hospital, Latehar. He later succumbed to his injuries, police said.Police first arrested Alam, whose disclosure led to the arrests of Ansari and Singh. Gupta said Singh had acted as an informer for Alam but was not directly involved, while Ansari had supported him. Police began investigating after the boy’s father, Shyam Kumar Paswan, filed a written complaint at Latehar police station on Sunday.
