Budaun Double Murder: The killer ran a barber shop in the victims' neighbourhood.
Fourteen blows to Aayush, nine to his younger brother Ahaan and 23 stab wounds in total - the post-mortem report of the two brothers brutally murdered in their own home in Uttar Pradesh's Budaun has revealed horrific details.
After being attacked on the neck, both Aayush (11) and Ahaan (6) were stabbed multiple times with a sharp weapon on their back, chest and legs. According to the post-mortem report, the wounds on their legs suggest the children may have attempted to escape, only to be struck down by the attacker.
According to the police, Sajid, a familiar face in the neighborhood who ran a barber shop opposite the victims' residence, was responsible for the double murder. Sajid, known to the children's father, Vinod Singh, visited their house under the guise of borrowing Rs 5,000. However, moments after being handed the money, Sajid launched a savage assault on the children as their mother prepared tea for him.
After gaining entry into the household, Sajid allegedly asked Aayush to take him to his mother's beauty salon upstairs. Upon reaching the second floor, Sajid allegedly switched off the lights before launching a vicious assault on Aayush with a knife. As Sajid slashed Aayush's throat, his younger brother Ahaan entered the room. Sajid then grabbed Ahaan and stabbed him multiple times as well. Subsequently, he targeted their other sibling, Piyush, though the seven-year-old managed to escape, sustaining minor injuries in the process.
Following the massacre, Sajid, accompanied by his brother Javed who was allegedly waiting outside the house with a motorcycle, fled the scene. According to the police, when Sajid was caught, he fired at the cops and was killed in an encounter. A police personnel was also shot and has been admitted to hospital.
The children's father Vinod Singh has called for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the murders while urging the police to refrain from hastily resorting to encounters.
"First catch him (Javed), ask the reason for the murder and then do an encounter. I want to know the reason for the murder," Vinod Singh said.
Javed is still missing, with the police announcing a reward of Rs 25,000 for information about him. However, a video has emerged in which he is claiming his innocence and expressing his wish to surrender to the police.