Ghaziabad Teen Shot Dead At Project Site After Guard Suspects Theft, Family Says Had Gone For Reel Shoot

A 17-year-old boy was shot dead at an under-construction building in Sahibabad on Sunday after a security guard allegedly suspected him and others of attempting to steal iron rods from the site. The teenager’s family, however, claimed he had gone there only to shoot a reel with a mobile phone he had purchased just two days earlier.

The incident unfolded at an under-construction building belonging to Parsvnath Developers near the teenager’s home in Arthala. Police detained the guard, identified as Vivek Yadav, and seized his licensed firearm. However, no FIR had been registered until late Sunday evening.

According to the teenager’s elder brother, Yusuf, the 17-year-old had been working as a welder with a contractor in Lucknow. But after work slowed down with the onset of Sawan, he returned home for a month-long break.

He subsequently took up work at a chicken shop, but the shop was also shut for the holy month. He then began driving a bike taxi to supplement the family income.

Yusuf said his brother returned home around 11.30am on Sunday. Shortly afterwards, a neighbourhood teenager informed him that the boy had been shot at the nearby construction site.

Yusuf rushed to the spot with his cousin Faheem.

“I raised an alarm when I saw four persons beating my brother. They shot him and fled,” Yusuf alleged.

The family rushed the critically injured teenager to MMG Hospital on a motorcycle, but doctors declared him dead on arrival.

Yusuf claimed the teenager had visited the construction site to shoot a reel after purchasing his new phone. He said he later discovered several videos recorded at the site on the device.

Police, meanwhile, said their preliminary inquiry indicated that the guard had fired the fatal shot. ACP (Sahibabad) Amit Saxena said, “The guard told us that some youths were stealing iron rods and other material from the site, and that he fired to scare them.”

Yadav was detained and taken into custody for questioning.

“We are investigating the case from all angles. A case will be registered under relevant sections of the BNS on the basis of a complaint,” Saxena said.