CBI threatened to kill my brother, forced me to confess: Ryan murder case accused

New Delhi: The Class 11 student of the Ryan International School in Gurugram, who is also a key witness in the Prdayuman Thakur murder case, has now alleged that he was forced by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CB) to confess that he murdered the seven-year-old student.

According to the Zee Media, the minor class XI student has also accused the CBI of threatening him and his family.

The juvenile accused had told Gurugram’s Child Protection and Welfare Officer (CPWO) Reenu Saini that CBI sleuths threatened to kill his younger brother if he continues to deny hand in Pradyuman’s murder.

“CBI officials threatened me that if I don’ confess to murdering Pradyuman, they will kill my brother. I love my brother…I can’t see him dying,” the accused juvenile reportedly told Saini.

The accused made this submission before Saini after the officer met him in seclusion to know his version of what happened on September 8 - the day when Pradyuman was found in a pool of blood with his throat slit inside his school washroom.

“They tortured and threatened me to admit that I killed Pradyuman,” he added. 

The CPWO has recorded the statement which will be presented before the Principal Magistrate of the Juvenile Justice Board.  

The accused Class 11 student’s version of the crime is contrary to the CBI’s theory that he murdered Pradyuman inside the school washroom, possibly with the help of one of his close friends.

The boy's family members have been maintaining that their child is innocent as he didn't commit any crime.

The accused student's family was allowed by the court to meet him on Monday. 

The family spent nearly three hours with the accused, but his mother was inconsolable on seeing his son.

Suspecting a foul play, the accused student's father said that his son was being tortured.

“My son is being tortured, he was hung upside down and brutally thrashed. He is completely innocent,” he told reporters. “Only one PTM had happened till now and all teachers had praised my son’s performance and behaviour. I have his marksheets,” the father of the accused student told media.

“Do you think such a young boy would behave normally for so many days had he committed such a serious crime?” he asked.

The CBI, however, said that the accused committed the crime in order to get the parents-teachers meeting and upcoming exams postponed.

The accused student has been sent to Faridabad observation home where he will be kept until the next hearing in the case on November 22.

Meanwhile, the CBI is also preparing to question the Haryana Police SIT, which was formed to probe the incident, over alleged cover-up in the case.

The CBI believes that the SIT officials ignored crucial evidence, possibly to let the main accused go scot free as a key witness.