The accused, all aged 17, have been detained, police said.
Two teenagers were killed while trying to pacify a confrontation between their friend and three others in Gujarat’s Surat, police said on Monday, adding that the dispute began over a horse-riding video in an Instagram group named “Salman Khan”.
A friend of the two victims responded with a joking abuse, sparking a heated exchange of insults. After the incident, the victims’ families alleged that the fight stemmed from an online gaming dispute. Police dismissed the claim after examining the group chats. A first information report (FIR) was registered on the complaint of the father of one of the deceased. One of the accused works at a mall in the city while the other two are labourers. Both victims worked at meat shops.
The boys aged 16 and 17 were stabbed by the accused near Fatima Kabrastan in the Nanpura area late on Sunday, according to police. Police detained three minor boys, all aged 17, on murder charges.
Assistant commissioner of police (ACP) VR Malhotra said all five of them knew each other and were members of the group and the trouble started when a member shared several videos, including one of horse-riding. “We have examined the chats in the ‘Salman Khan’ group, which establish that the quarrel arose from the videos and subsequent exchange of abuses,” Malhotra said. The main accused’s father is also involved in the meat business, and the knife used was a meat-cutting knife taken from the shop, according to police.
