A 14-year-old boy in Ghaziabad was strangled to death by his cousin in order to avoid repaying money borrowed for cryptocurrency investments.

The case came to light after the victim, Lakshya, went missing on the night of September 16. His cousin, Yuvraj alias Yash Prajapati, who worked as a cabin crew member and dabbled in cryptocurrency trading, was later arrested for the crime.

Investigation revealed that on September 16, Yash lured Lakshya out on the pretext of watching a movie and took him to a theatre in Delhi’s Preet Vihar. There, he strangled the boy and then crushed him with bricks before leaving the body behind. After committing the murder, Yuvraj went to V3S Mall, watched a film, and later returned home to join the family in a frantic search for the missing child.

According to investigators, Yuvraj had borrowed about three lakh rupees from his uncle, Manbir, which he put into crypto investments. Though he had made profits, he grew anxious when his uncle asked for a partial refund of 50,000 rupees. To escape repayment, police said, Yuvraj devised a chilling plan to kill his cousin.

Khoda police began investigating after a missing complaint was filed. CCTV footage, mobile tracking, and inputs from an informant led officers to Yuvraj, who was the last person seen with the boy. He was taken into custody and, during questioning, confessed to the murder.

Indirapuram ACP Abhishek Srivastava confirmed the arrest, stating that the accused has been sent to jail.

What began as a financial dispute within a family has ended in tragedy, with a child losing his life to a cousin’s obsession with money.

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