CBI Probes Nine-Year-Old Schoolboy Murder in Gujarat

The CBI has taken over the investigation of a nine-year-old case of alleged rape and murder of a schoolboy in Gujarat's Morbi district. The Gujarat High Court mandated the CBI involvement after the local CID Crime unit failed to make progress in identifying suspects or solving the crime.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case to investigate the alleged rape and murder of a schoolboy in Gujarat's Morbi district, occurring nine years ago. Officials confirmed the development on Thursday.

The case, originally handled by local police, was transferred to the CBI following an order by the Gujarat High Court on August 16 this year. The High Court highlighted the CID Crime unit in Rajkot's failure to trace the suspect or effectively investigate the crime.

The incident dates back to December 15, 2015, when a schoolboy went missing after school hours. Despite an extensive search initiated by his father, who discovered his son's bicycle near a pan shop, the boy remained unaccounted for until his body was found three days later near Machchhu Dam. The postmortem indicated brutal murder and sexual assault. Displeased with the investigation's progress, the boy's father petitioned the High Court, leading to the current CBI involvement.

(With inputs from agencies.)