A 14-year-old boy was found dead under mysterious circumstances outside his residential buidling in Dwarka area of south west Delhi late on Wednesday evening.
Footage retrieved from a CCTV installed in the building shows Vaibhav Kumar, falling from the eight-floor building. Police are trying to ascertain if he committed suicide, but family members have not ruled out foul play.
Vaibhav, a class 9 student of Bal Bharati Public School in Dwarka sector 12, lived with his family at Skylark Apartments in Dwarka sector 6. The incident came to light when he did not return home after attending tuition classes on Wednesday.
“He had left home at around 6 pm, but did not return until 7.15 pm. We started worrying as he usually returned home on time and informed us if he had other plans,” said Vaibhav’s father, Sajjan.
The teenager’s family members then tried to trace him at his tuition centre and in the neighbourhood.
They also contacted most of Vaibhav’s friends and decided to inform police after all their efforts failed.
“Around 10 pm, we heard a loud noise near our building. When we went to see what had happened, we saw Vaibhav lying on the ground in a pool of blood,” Narender, a close relative said.
The boy was taken to Ayushman Hospital in Dwarka Sector 12, where doctors declared him brought dead upon arrival. Police later shifted the body to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for post-mortem.
Police suspect Vaibhav died after jumping from the roof of the building. A crime team and a forensic science laboratory team examined the spot.
A senior official said, “Inquest proceedings under section 174 of the CrPC (Code of Criminal Procedure) are being carried out. The post-mortem was conducted on Thursday, he added.
Police are awaiting post-mortem and forensic reports to confirm the cause of Vaibhav’s death. Investigators are examining footage from other CCTV cameras installed in the building.
Sources claim that police have been informed about the family having an enmity which might have played a part in the incident. Sources at Ayushman Hospital said he had died more than hour before he was brought to the hospital.
The 14-year-old is survived by his parents, elder brother and elder sister. His father is a doctor and runs a private clinic in west Delhi’s Vishnu Garden.
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