New Delhi, Dec 12 (HT) : The severed body of an 18-year-old teenager — with his heart and private parts ripped out — was found in south Delhi’s Bhati Mines forest area on Thursday afternoon. The body, identified as that of Kuldeep, was found 500 meters from his house in the same area.

Kuldeep’s family members claimed he was stoned to death and then his head, found 50 yards from the body, was chopped off.

“His neck had been squashed with stones and the police found his severed and disfigured head nearby,” said Vijay Pal, a local resident who had caught a glimpse of the body.

Police officers at the spot claimed that Kuldeep’s arm was ripped off. It was later recovered near the body. His heart and private parts were still missing.

“Initial investigations suggest that the accused used stones to kill the victim. The accused left Kuldeep’s body in the jungle to make it look like an animal attack,” said a police officer.

The police ruled out robbery as the cause of murder and registered a case at Fatehpur Beri police station in south Delhi. “We recovered the bike of the victim and his other belongings from the crime scene, which rules out robbery or loot. We have found important clues from the spot,” said a police officer.

Investigators are looking at a love triangle angle and personal enmity as cause of the murder. “The body of the victim was found in a very gruesome state,” said DCP (south) Prem Nath.

Locals who alerted the police claimed that the body had been so brutally dismembered that it could only be identified with the help of a tattoo. “The boy had his name tattooed on his arm, which helped us in recognising him,” Pal added.

The incident came to light at about 2:24pm when local residents crossing the area noticed the body. They initially suspected an animal attack, though on closer inspection of the body it became clear that the boy had been murdered brutally.

“Tension prevailed in the area as soon as the news of the murder spread in the afternoon. On further probe, we found that the body was that of Kuldeep,” said Mahipal Singh, uncle of the victim.

Kuldeep, according to his family members, had turned 18 on November 10 and had recently joined a private company in Gurgaon as a courier.

“He had joined the company on Monday and spoke to us for the last time on Wednesday around 8:49 pm. After that, his phone was switched off and we had no idea about his whereabouts,” said Vir Chand, Kuldeep’s father.

Kuldeep had for the last time spoken to his brother and assured him that he would be home in 20 minutes. The family began to panic after the boy failed to return that night. Krishna Devi, the mother of the victim, claimed that none of his friends knew about his whereabouts.