Kolkata, Sept 6 (PTI) Bodies of two 17-year-old boys were found in a morgue on Tuesday, nearly a fortnight after they went missing from the city's Baguihati area, a senior police officer said.

Locals, on getting to know about the fate of the teenagers -- Atanu Dey and Abhishek Naskar -- staged protests in the area, seeking justice for them, the officer said.

Also Read | Sheikh Hasina Reiterates India as Most Important Neighbour for Bangladesh, Thanks Indian Govt for Warm Hospitality.

According to the officer of Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate, the two boys were strangulated to death allegedly by a neighbour and his accomplices.

Four persons have been arrested in the case, but the prime accused, Satyendra Chaudhuri, and one of his aides are missing, he said.

Also Read | Indian Economy Growing at Fast Pace, Demat Accounts Surpasses 100 Million.

"Atanu's father had on August 24 filed a complaint at Baguihati Police Station, and a kidnapping case was accordingly lodged. He informed the police that Satyendra had sought ransom from him for releasing the two boys," the officer explained.

Chaudhuri, according to the complaint, had taken Dey and Naskar in a vehicle to nearby Rajarhat area on August 22.

"Atanu had given Rs 50,000 to neighbour Satyendra to purchase a motorcycle for him. Several months went by, but the accused did not buy the two-wheeler nor did he return the money. Problem arose when Atanu wanted his money back,” the officer said, referring to the complaint.

Chaudhuri, along with his accomplices, had asked Atanu to accompany him to a motorcycle store on August 22 and Naskar, too, joined them.

"Prima facie, it looks like Satyendra strangulated the two to death with a rope. He seemed to have asked for the ransom after the two were killed. Their bodies were dumped in Nayanjuli on Basanti Highway. Local police in Nayanjuli had taken them to Basirhat morgue," the officer said.

The bodies that lay unclaimed in the morgue for a while were identified on Tuesday, he said.

Meanwhile, family members of the boys alleged that they had approached the police on the very day the two boys went missing, but the complaint was not entertained for the first two days.

The senior officer of Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate, when asked about the allegation, said the matter will be looked into and necessary steps will be taken if it was found to be true.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)