'Address is Mukadma No. 302': Inspired by Crime Show, Delhi Teens Kill Man for Social Media 'Popularity'

In a heinous crime borrowed off the silver screen, a group of teenage boys in Northwest Delhi stabbed a 24-year-old man to death. They were apparently ‘obsessed’ with the Telugu crime drama Pushpa – The Rise, which premiered last month, and other crime shows.

Enthralled by the film, the group of three boys apparently imitated the appearance and mannerisms of the character in the film played by actor Allu Arjun, and even formed a gang called Badnaam with 10-15 other boys, the Indian Expressreported. Their fascination, however, took a dark turn on January 19, when three boys from the group allegedly killed a 24-year-old man inside a park, the report states.

Shibu Hussain, the victim, had reportedly objected to the boys playing gilli danda there. He was allegedly beaten up before being stabbed to death by the three, police said.

However, that is not all, as according to the police, one of the boys filmed the act, and planned to post it on Instagram to become “popular.”

Usha Rangnani, DCP (Northwest), said her team received a call from the hospital about the victim. “CCTVs near the spot were scanned and our team managed to apprehend the three boys within 12 hours. We feel we reached in time; the boys were about to post the video online. I saw it and it was brutal. We found that they were inspired by movies and wanted more followers on social media. They also wished to ‘inspire’ their friends by this act,” the DCP told Indian Express.

ACP Tilak Chandra Bisht’s team apprehended the boys as they changed hideouts and recovered a sharp weapon from their possession.

During questioning, the three teenagers, ages 15, 16, and 17, revealed that they had recently watched Pushpa and the crime drama Bhaukaal. An officer said the boys also liked and followed a lot of gangsters on social media, and desired the same life. “They didn’t appear to be afraid of being arrested; they believe they will be released in 3-6 months and will be able to return home,” they said.

But their families claimed they had no idea the boys were into crime films.

The mother of the 15-year-old boy said in the report that she had lost my husband years back and was dependent on contractors for small work. She added that she did not think her son “can kill someone”. “Police told me he’s inspired by some movie; I have never even heard of it. I thought he didn’t have a social media account,” she said.

The other two families own small businesses in the neighbourhood.

The 16-year-old accused’s father said the family thought he liked to act because he always talked about movies.

According to police, the boys were active on Instagram and frequently posted reels/videos in which they lip-synced or danced to Bollywood songs. They can be seen hurling insults and discussing guns, violence, and smoking in a number of posts. They’ve also posted videos of themselves outside police stations.

They went by the names ‘Badnaam,”sher,’ and ‘gangster.’ One of the boys’ bios says, “address- mukadma no./302..307/,” ostensibly referring to IPC sections 302 and 307 for murder and attempted murder. Police have said that they are checking their social media accounts and are attempting to counsel the teenagers, who have been placed in a juvenile facility.

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