Rising Juvenile Crime Alarms Police As Minors Get Involved In Murder, Rape, Drugs And Robbery In Bhopal

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Minors are increasingly being found involved in serious crimes ranging from brutal murders and criminal conspiracies to knife attacks, rape, robbery, drug peddling and trafficking.

Their growing involvement is posing a challenge for the police, particularly because the Juvenile Justice Act places strict safeguards on how children in conflict with law can be dealt with during investigation and interrogation.

Police officials say that interrogation of juvenile suspects often yields limited information, making it difficult to establish the entire criminal network or identify other people involved in an offence.

Investigators have to follow prescribed procedures and cannot use the kind of methods sometimes used against adult suspects.

Besides the recent sensational murder in Shyamla Hills area, in which three minors were involved, Piplani police had apprehended a minor in connection with a stabbing case a few days back.

In October 2023, a Class 10 student was stabbed to death by six minors over a petty issue in Bag Sewania.

According to police records, more than a dozen minors have been apprehended in Bhopal between January and July this year in cases related to drugs and marijuana peddling.

In another incident on July 9, six minors allegedly assaulted a security guard in TT Nagar and robbed him of Rs 10,000 in cash and his mobile phone.

Police have also found involvement of minors in several incidents of snatching and theft. Last year, two suspects involved in a mobile snatching with a senior police official were found to be minors.

Involved in sexual offences

Several cases involving sexual offences have also come to light. In the first week of July, two minors were allegedly involved in the rape of a 16-year-old girl in the city.

The duo recorded the incident and circulated it on social media. Bilkhiriya police separately apprehended a minor in a rape and blackmailing case involving a 14-year-old girl. A week ago, Kajlikheda police detained a minor boy on charges of rape.