A 12-year-old boy was found dead with severe injuries in northeast Delhi’s Shastri Park area on Friday, triggering a police investigation that has put suspicion on his stepfather in what officials described as a deeply disturbing case.

According to relatives, the boy’s mother received a video clip from an unidentified phone number on Friday morning, allegedly showing her son in a critically injured state. The woman reportedly fainted after viewing the footage.

Police said they received information around 9:50 am and immediately reached a location near the Shastri Park chowk loop, where the Class-7 student was found unconscious. He was taken to Jag Pravesh Chandra (JPC) Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

Signs Of Brutal Assault

Officials noted that the boy had sustained multiple injuries, including wounds to the head and eyes. Clear indications of a violent assault were observed, following which a forensic examination was ordered, police said.

Relatives described the child as a sports enthusiast. He had left home to play on Thursday evening after returning from school but failed to return. The family searched for him throughout the night.

Stepfather Suspected, Phone Switched Off

Police stated that the boy and his brother were dropped near their house around 6:30 pm on Thursday by their stepfather, Wajid Khan, an e-rickshaw driver aged between 35 and 40 years. The mobile phone used to send the video has since been switched off, and Khan is suspected to be absconding, police said.

Relatives said the boy’s mother married Khan in 2020, following the death of her first husband due to jaundice in 2019.

Family Tensions Come To Fore

"Initially, things were normal but gradually, he (Khan) began to resent the children from her first marriage," Rashid, the deceased's brother-in-law, told PTI.

Rashid added that the two younger boys had been staying at a hostel in Daryaganj but had recently returned home, leading to frequent disputes between the couple.

"He would ask why the boys had come back. There were regular disputes at home and my mother-in-law was deeply upset," Rashid said.

Case Registered, Probe Underway

The deceased is survived by his mother, a married sister, and two brothers aged 18 and 13.

"A case under section 103(1) (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita has been registered at the Shastri Park police station," a senior police officer said. Officials confirmed that a forensic team inspected the scene and preserved blood samples and other evidence for scientific examination.

The body was later sent to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital for post-mortem. Further investigation is underway, police added.

(With inputs from PTI)