Navi Mumbai: A 17-year-old boy from Shiravane MIDC has been arrested for the murder of a 12-year-old girl from the same area. Turbhe MIDC police launched a search after the girl went missing on April 24. Her body was later found in a hilly area near MIDC.

Police said the victim and accused, who knew each other well, met on April 25 around 2:30 p.m. when the boy lured her to a secluded area. After the girl rejected his demand for physical intimacy, a heated argument broke out, during which he fatally struck her on the head with a stone. He then fled with her mobile phone.

The girl’s family filed a missing complaint that night, prompting police to register a kidnapping case. The injured girl was discovered during the search but was declared dead before reaching D.Y. Patil Hospital in Nerul.

Suspicion fell on the boy after he returned the victim’s mobile phone, claiming he found it on the road. A technical investigation revealed inconsistencies, leading police to detain him. During interrogation, he confessed to the crime. Police have registered charges of murder and kidnapping against him and produced him before the Juvenile Justice Board.