India: Held hostage for damaging iPhone, teen jumps from building

New Delhi: Humiliated by illegal confinement over damaging an iPhone, a 16-year-old boy jumped from the fourth floor of a building in Chirag Delhi. The victim is undergoing treatment at Safdarjung hospital. The victim's family has alleged that he was held hostage by a man after his father failed to pay for his expensive iPhone, which was accidentally damaged by the teenager.

The victim's family told the police that a man called Honey asked for Rs62,000 (Dh 3,110) as compensation for the damage and wrongfully confined the victim and tortured him. He even allegedly directed the victim to work as a servant at his home.

The incident happened on Thursday evening when the victim and his friend were going from his house to his father's shop on their bicycle. The bicycle collided with Honey and with the impact of the collision, Honey's iPhone fell down and was damaged. A livid Honey asked for money to repair the mobile phone and victim's father promised to get it repaired.

Subsequently the victim was tortured and allegedly held hostage by Honey, said the victim's family members. But the teenager slipped out on the pretext of having food. "He felt bad for his father's humiliation and his torture at the hands of Honey and jumped from the terrace of the fourth floor in an attempt to commit suicide," said Atul Thakur, DCP South Delhi.

At present the victim is undergoing treatment at Safdarjung Hospital. The family members of the victim staged a protest outside Malviya Nagar police station demanding the arrest of the accused. "A case under sections 323/341 IPC 75 JJ Act has already been registered and also DD entry under section 309 IPC has been lodged," a police officer said.