MEERUT: Two minor students, aged 14 and 16, of a cleric murdered his wife and two young daughters inside the mosque premises where the family lived, in revenge for beating them during religious lessons, police said on Sunday. Israna, 30, Sofia, 5, and Sumaiya, 2, were found murdered inside their living quarters within the Badi Masjid premises in Ganganoli under Doghat police station limits on Saturday.Children who came for tuition classes discovered the bodies and raised an alarm. The bodies of the girls were lying on a cot, while the wife’s body was found on the floor nearby, with all three victims having suffered severe head injuries, police said, adding that they cracked the case in six hours and detained the two juveniles based on surveillance footage and local intelligence.Baghpat SP Suraj Rai said, “During interrogation, the minors confessed to the killings and revealed that they had been scolded and beaten by the imam multiple times over mistakes in their studies — once earlier in the week and again on Saturday morning. Enraged, they decided to take revenge and executed the plan in the afternoon after confirming that the cleric had left and the family was alone. The two boys entered the premises with a knife and a hammer, both of which they used to kill the three victims. They later led the police to the spot where they had hidden the murder weapons.”Rai said the murders were carried out in a calculated and cold manner, but the investigation teams solved the case swiftly using technical and on-ground intelligence. Locals said the cleric had been living in the mosque with his family for over four years and that his wife, Israna, also taught local children in the premises. Police said all legal procedures were being followed as the accused are minors. A case has been registered, and further investigation is underway. Officers said they were also probing other possible motives to rule out any additional involvement or angle.
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