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Boy replays TV Show, Kills Grandmom
The two teenagers held for recent killing and robbing a Malad senior citizen, Sarla Patel, had been making plans for nearly a month, crime branch officials revealed on Tuesday.
Patel's grandson, Raju, and his childhood friend, Sachin, both 16, were sent to the Dongri remand home on Monday. The juvenile court sent them to judicial custody for a day.
"The two thought they had devised a perfect plan and that the law would never catch up with them. Having read a series of news reports on senior citizen killings lately, the boys decided they would target 67-year-old Sarla. They assumed the police would arrest Sarla's maid, as house-helps were prime suspects in such cases," a police official said.
The boys drew inspiration from a Hindi crime-based television show. "They bought surgical gloves after observing in the show that it prevented fingerprints from being left behind. They also purchased a nylon rope to strangle Sarla," the official said.
The police have recovered the gloves and the rope along with cash and ornaments worth Rs 5.14 lakh that was stolen from Sarla's house.
Sachin was aware that their target was a close relative of Raju, the police said. "Till last year, Raju and his parents used to stay with Sarla and her husband, Ramanlal. Relatives are baffled how Raju could even think of harming his grandmother," the official said.
Teachers at the Malad school where Raju and Sachin had studied together till February 2011 said the duo came from good backgrounds. "Raju was well-mannered and well-behaved at school. I don't know what happened to the two in the transition from school to college. College life is very different," a teacher said.
