Shimla, Jul 13 (IANS): A local court on Friday indicated it would announce its verdict on July 17 in the sensational kidnapping-cum-murder of a child, Yug Gupta, in the state capital four years ago.

Yug's skeletal remains were recovered from a municipal water supply tank in August 2016, two years after he was reported missing. The police said the child had been tortured, starved and forced to consume liquor before he was thrown into the tank.

The police have charged three youths, who were the victim's neighbours, with murder for ransom. The three have been in police custody since their arrest in August 2016.

The victim's father Vinod Gupta has demanded death penalty for the accused. "My son will get justice only if the accused are awarded the death sentence," he told reporters.

Earlier, after recording the evidence and hearing the arguments, the court had reserved its judgment for June 29.

A charge-sheet filed by the state police's Crime Investigation Department (CID) on October 25 last year said the child had been missing from his residence since June 14, 2014. The accused kept on demanding the ransom even after killing the child, said the CID. On June 27, 2016, the family received a ransom letter demanding Rs 3.6 crore. This was followed by three more ransom letters.

An angry crowd had thrashed the two accused, Chander Sharma and Tajinder Singh, in August last year at the district court complex when they were taken there for a court hearing.