The Nalasopara police said the feud between the 13-year-old boy and his four classmates, who allegedly stoned the former to death for being friends with a 13-year-old girl, was going on for over a month.
The deceased has been identified as Virendra Maurya, a resident of Oswal Nagari in Nalasopara, police said. Maurya was found dead on a saltpan land outside Nalasopara railway station on Friday.
Maurya was wearing his school uniform when he was found. The accused, aged 12, 13, 13 and 15, were traced and arrested. All of them are classmates of Maurya and are students of Navyuvak Vidyamandir in Nalasopara (east). They were produced before a juvenile court and have been sent to the Bhiwandi correction home.
Assistant police inspector Dhananjay Jagdale said that the four accused fought with Maurya for multiple reasons, including his friendship with a girl in the school of the same age.
During investigation, they mentioned that he was getting close to the girl and they had asked him to stay away from her. According to the police, the four minor accused smashed the victim’s head with stones. “There are severe marks on his face. The victim has been hit multiple times,” added Mr Jagdale. The accused were detained and confessed to their crime.