Hyderabad: The Telangana Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) played a key role in providing scientific evidence against a 14-year-old boy—a Class 10 student and a child in conflict with the law—in the brutal murder of a 10-year-old girl, allegedly over a cricket bat. The incident took place on Aug 18 within the Kukatpally police station limits of the Cyberabad police commissionerate. The girl’s mother filed a complaint after finding her daughter murdered at home. The police arrested the boy on Aug 23 in connection with the case. Forensic breakthrough The accused’s belongings, including the knife reportedly used in the crime, were sent to the FSL for analysis. Despite the boy’s attempt to clean the wooden handle of the knife, FSL scientists discovered a small bloodstain. This trace evidence was recovered and subjected to DNA fingerprinting, which confirmed that the blood matched the victim’s DNA. Similarly, the boy had washed his trousers and shirt, yet bloodstains persisted. The FSL confirmed that these stains also contained the victim’s DNA. In its report to the Kukatpally police, the FSL stated that the victim’s blood samples collected from the crime scene, the knife, the boy’s clothing, and the victim’s garments matched perfectly, scientifically establishing the connection beyond doubt. A senior official from Cyberabad police said, “Even though the boy washed his clothes in a washing machine, FSL experts were able to recover the DNA from the remaining stains.” The DNA fingerprinting was conducted by FSL scientist G Pandu, whose efforts proved decisive in the investigation. Legal experts said that, in the absence of direct witnesses, DNA evidence provided the strongest link to the crime. Evidence recovery According to police, the child in conflict with the law had planned to steal a cricket bat belonging to the victim’s brother. On the day of the crime, when the girl confronted him and raised an alarm, he allegedly stabbed her more than 20 times. Investigators also recovered a handwritten note detailing his plan to steal the bat and strategies to avoid detection. CCTV footage from the area yielded limited information, and without eyewitnesses, the boy’s confession had little legal weight. As a result, DNA evidence became the cornerstone of the case, ultimately enabling investigators to solve it.
