14-Year-Old Fatally Shot After Refusing To Repay $220 Loan; Body Dumped In Drain

A 14-year-old has been fatally shot and dumped in a drain in India for refusing to repay a $220 loan.

The teen, identified as Manjeet, from India's capital city of Delhi, was reported missing by his parents on Jan. 19, around 10 days after he disappeared. Authorities discovered a body in the drain three days later and tried to match it with the missing cases registered in nearby police stations.

Manjeet's parents were then called, and they identified the remains as those of their missing son, India Today reported.

Police made four arrests in connection with the case. The suspects, who were identified by their surnames, were Vikram, Harshit, Vipin and Pankaj. Three other individuals who allegedly conspired with them in the crime, including Chenta who has been accused of fatally shooting the victim, remain on the loose.

Investigators learned that Manjeet borrowed INR 18,000 ($220) from Vikram, who ran a cloth shop.

Vikram claimed during interrogation that Manjeet used to buy clothes from his shop without paying money. Vikram also alleged that when he asked for his money back, Manjeet made excuses and threatened to file a false complaint against Harshit and his brother, Vikram, according to Free Press Journal.

On the day of the incident, the suspects called Manjeet to the shop and asked him to repay the money. When Manjeet refused, a fight ensued and Chenta allegedly shot the victim to death.

The suspects then threw Manjeet's body into a drain and discarded their bloodied clothes after the alleged murder.

In a similar incident, a young man's hand was amputated in India in October 2022 after he failed to repay a loan amounting to $30. The victim, identified as Vijay Salat from Bayad, a village in the western state of Gujarat, lost his hand after he reportedly failed to pay back a loan he took from a man identified as Sailesh Barot. Sailesh, along with his father Kanu Barot and a third suspect identified as Ravi Barot, attacked the victim with a sword, hit his wrist and chopped off his hand. The victim was also struck in the legs.