Malda: A 17-year-old boy was allegedly beaten to death by his friend and the latter’s family members in Sahabnagar under Manikchak Police Station, following a dispute over a fake Facebook account created using the victim’s photograph.
The deceased, Sheikh Sohel (17), and the accused, Sheikh Amraj, were residents of Sahabnagar in the Choukimirdadpur region of Manikchak. Both were students of Sahabnagar High School and had appeared for the Madhyamik examination this year.
According to police and family sources, Amraj allegedly opened a Facebook account using Sohel’s photograph and, over the past month, posted obscene content and sent inappropriate messages to several young women in the village. As the profile carried Sohel’s picture, suspicion and blame fell on him.
When Sohel came to know that his friend was operating the fake account, he reportedly confronted Amraj on Sunday evening and asked him to delete it. An argument broke out, following which Amraj and his father, Sheikh Fijur, allegedly assaulted Sohel with bamboo sticks. Sohel’s mother was also reportedly beaten when she tried to rescue her son.
“Sohel only asked him to close the account. They were very good friends. Just for that, he was beaten so brutally,” said Rupali Bibi, a relative of the deceased. “We want strict punishment for all those involved.”
Sohel was first taken to Manikchak Rural Hospital and later shifted to Malda Medical College and Hospital. As his condition deteriorated, he was referred to a hospital in Kolkata, where he succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday morning, around 10 am.
Police have arrested Amraj, while his parents are absconding. A police officer from Manikchak police station said: “We have started a case based on the family’s complaint.
One accused has been arrested, and efforts are on to trace the others.”