Greater Noida trader's son killed by 'friends,' accused nabbed after gunfire chase

Seven days after a businessman's teenage son went missing in Greater Noida, police on Wednesday said they have nabbed two of his friends, including a juvenile, after a gunfight for allegedly killing him.

Police claimed the duo confessed to killing their friend and then dumping his body in Khareli canal. The body is yet to be found.

Family members and relatives of Vaibhav Singhal, 16, protested at the local police station on Wednesday, and many traders in Bilaspur town downed shutters over the killing and demanded strict action against culprits.

Aruj Singhal, Vaibhav's father, who lives in Bilaspur town, had lodged a complaint at the local Dankaur Police Station about his son going missing, after which an FIR was lodged under Section 363 (missing) of the Indian Penal Code, a police officer said.

When the matter was investigated, police zeroed in on two of his friends, 19-year-old Maj Pathan, and another 15-year-old boy, a police spokesperson said.

"On Wednesday, the two suspects were traced by the police between Dhanauri and Sakka on the basis of electronic and manual surveillance. On seeing the police party, they turned around and ran towards a field. An attempt was made to stop them but they did not stop. One of them opened fire at the police team, prompting retaliation in self-defence, in which he was hit by a bullet in the leg," the police spokesperson said.

"The juvenile accused managed to escape but was held later during a combing operation in the area. The Apple iPhone of the victim was also seized from the accused," the spokesperson said.

According to a senior officer, Vaibhav was allegedly in possession of some personal data of Maj and his girlfriend because of which an argument broke out between them on January 30, after which he was strangled by Maj and his juvenile friend.

The officer said a team of the National Disaster Response Force is searching for the body in the canal.

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