Kerala teen plots grandfather murder, watches on video call

A 13-year-old girl in Alappuzha, Kerala, has been taken into custody for allegedly orchestrating the murder of her 67-year-old grandfather. The NDTV report says she guided her 17-year-old boyfriend and three other teenagers into the house via video call, and watched him suffocate. The Times of India reports police said the killing was carried out 'in a professional manner, similar to what is seen in films'.

The Times of India reports the girl told police her grandfather had subjected her to 'bad touch', an allegation she had raised earlier, and that she wanted revenge for restrictions on her mobile phone use and friendships with boys. Police said the group's motives also included stealing 4.5 sovereigns of gold ornaments to buy an iPhone for the girl and a motorbike for her boyfriend. One ring was sold for Rs 16,000 before the rest of the gold was recovered.

The murder took place on Saturday night after the girl told her grandfather she would stay at a friend's house. The boys entered through a rear ventilator, tied up and smothered the victim, and scattered chilli powder to mislead investigators. Police used mobile tower data to trace the accused within 24 hours. The accused will be produced before the Juvenile Justice Board.