Teenager 'slit seven-year-old's throat in school toilet to avoid an exam'

Boy's body found at school in Indian city less than hour after father dropped him off

The seven-year-old victim was a pupil at the Ryan International School in Gurgaon, India (Google)

A teenager in India has been arrested for allegedly slitting the throat of a seven-year-old boy in order to avoid sitting an upcoming exam.

The 16-year-old boy is accused of killing fellow pupil Pradyuman Thakur by slitting his throat at a school near Delhi in September, in order to postpone an exam and a parent-teacher meeting.

Federal investigators said told AFP they had evidence against the teenager, who has not been named for legal reasons, stating he was “academically weak”.

“He admitted during questioning that he wanted to shut the school to defer the exams and meeting,” Central Bureau of Investigation spokesman RK Gaur said.

The teenager will be sent to a juvenile detention centre until his trial for murder, the spokesperson said.

The accused teenager's father has said his son is innocent and told Indian news agency ANI that his son had raised the alarm about the attack.

The body of the victim was found in a ground floor toilet at the Ryan International School in the city of Gurgaon, India, on 8 September, less than an hour after his father’s dropped him off.

A bus conductor was originally detained in connection with the Thakur's murder, after police accused him of killing the child after he resisted sexual assault.

Mr Gaur said the conductor would remain in custody until he is clear of any wrongdoing by a court.