A 16-year-old boy was kidnapped and murdered by a friend in Bathinda, police said Thursday.
The kidnappers had called up the boy's father and demanded Rs. 2 crore as ransom, officials said, adding that the family then approached police.
However, the boy's family managed to bring the ransom amount down to Rs. 3 lakh and the accused told them to deliver the money near a railway station at 12:30 am on Wednesday, they said.
A trap was laid and the accused were arrested the moment they arrived to collect the bag, police said.
During questioning, they admitted that they had slit the boy's throat and dumped his body, police said, adding that the duo said they were looking to make easy money.