Police say victim's family may have known assailants

If the kidnappers of 16-year-old Ribhu Chawla hadn't panicked, maybe the Class 11 student would have been alive today.

Just 16 and no more: Ribhu Chawla

That's what the cops investigating the sensational kidnap-murder case are hinting at. Sources in the police also revealed that the kidnapper might have been known to the family of the victim. "We suspect the involvement of someone close to the family. The abductors seem to have killed the boy for the fear of getting caught," said an officer investigating the case.

Ribhu Chawla, a student of KR Mangalam School, Vikaspuri, was kidnapped from outside his home at State Bank Enclave in the same area on Tuesday afternoon. But on Wednesday morning, Ribhu's body was discovered in the ruins near Ryan International School in Vasant Kunj.

"Ribhu and his friend Sushant were riding a bike near their apartment when two unidentified men in a Wagon R car approached them and started beating up Ribhu. They dragged the boy into the car and sped away. They hit out at Sushant as well when he intervened," said a senior cop, involved in investigation of the case.

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