Police have arrested a minor boy in connection with the brutal murder of his friend, a third-grade student, over a dispute involving a mobile video game in Baraigram upazila of Natore.

Acting on a tip-off and using technology, police detained the accused, early Friday and recovered the stolen smartphone used by the victim, said Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) of Baraigram Circle, Shovon Chandra Hor.

UNB is not identifying the accused since he is a minor.

According to ASP Shovon, during initial questioning, the accused admitted that on Thursday afternoon, he and his now deceased friend, Abir, went out together in the Mohishbhanga area. The two engaged in a heated argument over playing the mobile game ‘Free Fire’ on Abir’s phone, which escalated into a physical altercation.

At one point, the accused struck Abir on the head with a brick, causing him to collapse. He then struck further blows with the brick, killing him on the spot, before fleeing with the victim's smartphone.

Earlier on Thursday evening, Abir’s family reported him missing. Around 8:30pm, locals found Abir's blood-stained bicycle abandoned beside the main road in the Mohishbhanga area.

Upon receiving information, police arrived at the scene with the help of locals and discovered Abir’s mutilated body hidden under maize plants inside an under-construction spice factory nearby.

Crime scene units from both the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) visited the location later that night and collected evidence.

Due to the accused being a minor, police have refrained from disclosing further personal details.