A youth was found lying dead in a narrow lane connecting Dover Road with Ritchie Road, in Ballygunge, on Thursday morning, with his head smashed and a blood-stained stone lying beside him.

“A probe revealed that the unidentified youth had been hit on the forehead with the 4inchx6inch stone,” said an officer of Ballygunge police station. “There was also an injury mark on the chest and a few cut marks on the back of his head.”

The youth was in cargo trousers, a shirt and slippers. “The clothes do not suggest he was a pavement-dweller,” said Vineet Goyal, the deputy commissioner of police (headquarters). “All 48 police stations in the city have been asked to find out whether any youth was missing from their areas.”

A caller informed Ballygunge police station about the body. “A team was immediately sent to the spot,” said Goyal.

“The killing might not be pre-planned,” said an officer. “A number of stones were lying on the ground. The killer might have lost his cool after an altercation and hit the victim with one them. We are now trying to identify the victim.”