16-Yr-Old Found Dead in Hostel, Kin Cry Foul

HYDERABAD: A 16-year-old was found dead in a private hostel at Chikkadpally. While the police asserted that it was a case of suicide, the family raised suspicions about potential foul play. Chikkadpally police initiated an investigation after registering a case.

Deccan Chronicle is not naming the victim as he is a minor.

According to the police, the youth, originally from Bhadradri Kothagudem district, was pursuing Intermediate at a private college in Narayanguda while living in the hostel. The incident occurred on Friday evening.

Investigations revealed that the boy did not attend college that day. Around 1 pm, he went out for lunch with a friend from the hostel. Upon returning, he went to sleep after informing friends to wake him up at 5 pm.

When the friend tried to rouse him at 5 pm, finding the door locked from the inside and receiving no response, they alerted the hostel staff. After breaking open the door, they discovered the lifeless body of the 16-year-old. He was rushed to a private hospital where he was declared dead.

The family contested issues that might have led him to such a drastic step, pointing to potential negligence on the part of the hostel management. They questioned, "How can a boy who asked his friends to wake him up suddenly die by suicide?"

The victim's uncle, in the complaint to the police, raised concerns about discrepancies between the scene of the incident and the hostel management's account of the suicide. He urged a thorough investigation.

The victim's cousin alleged the involvement of the hostel management in the suicide. He claimed, "Immediately after doctors declared him dead at the hospital, the staff took his mobile from his friends, accessed it, and erased the entire data. We appeal for justice for him and his family, and the real culprits must be punished." The police later seized the mobile for further investigation.