Daijiworld Media Network - Patiala

Patiala, Apr 2: What began as a joyous birthday celebration turned into a tragedy for Navjot Singh’s family after the 17-year-old was brutally murdered by his friend over an iPhone 11.

Navjot had celebrated his birthday with family in Punjab’s Patiala on March 24. The next day, he left for a trip with friends, claiming he was heading to Haridwar. However, he later called his parents to inform them that he was returning home.

That night, police received a distressing call about a mutilated body at a railway station. The corpse was severed from the stomach, with multiple cut marks on the chest, making identification difficult.

“We put up posters across the village to trace the deceased’s identity. On March 30, Harjinder Singh, searching for his missing son, approached us,” a police official stated.

Investigations revealed that Navjot was murdered by his friend Amanjot, who coveted his iPhone 11. Amanjot was arrested after police recovered the phone from him and was presented before the Juvenile Justice Board.

A witness, who later narrated the crime to Navjot’s family, claimed that Amanjot paid him Rs 1,000 to assist in covering up the murder. The boy, whose identity remains undisclosed, was allegedly threatened into helping place the body on the railway track.

Police are continuing the probe into the horrific crime.