The gang lured the lad to a secluded spot, stabbed him to death and threw his testicles in a lake when they couldn’t find a buyer on the black market prepared to meet their asking price
A gang murdered a teenager and removed his testicles because they thought they were worth £100,000, police have said. They were said to have been motivated by the by a social media video promoting a false claim about the value of human testicles.
The 17-year-old victim, named only as Rehan, was lured to a secluded area where he was stabbed to death by the gang. Police in India said his testicles were kept packed in ice for two while they tried to find a buyer on the black market prepared to pay a huge sum.
Cops probing the sick killing have arrested prime suspect – 20-year-old business student Zoheb Khan – alleged accomplice Aamir Qureshi, 18, and detained three minors.
Investigators allege Khan recruited the group and convinced them that testicles could fetch about 12 million Indian rupees (around £92,465) on the black market in the Gulf.
They claim Khan posed as a doctor to convince his associates he knew how to remove the organs, even going as far as buying a white apron, stethoscope and thermometer online and used them while training the group.
Rehan, a street vendor, was said to have been lured to his murder site by two youths who approached him at this stall on august 6 and offered 100 rupees (around 77p) to help them with an arranged fight.
Ayush Gupta, the deputy commissioner of police in Bhopal, said four of the accused participated in the murder while Khan guided them on a video call.
When the gang failed to sell the testicles, Khan is said to have ordered the group to dispose of the organs in separate lakes.
Police recovered Rehan’s body from Lower Lake near Dhobi Ghat on August 10. They identified him from a tattoo, five days after his worried mum had reported him missing.
A post-mortem examination found fatal injuries and confirmed that his testicles had been removed. Police have since recovered the blade they believe was used in the murdered and deployed divers to search the waters for his testicles.
Santosh Patel, Bhopal’s assistant commissioner of police, said the search would prove difficult and officers were relying on the suspects tell officers where they had disposed of them.
Investigators have also identified people whom the gang allegedly approached as potential buyers and are questioning them about whether any sale was planned.