Victoria Police have arrested seven people over the fatal stabbings of two boys in Melbourne’s outer west.
Fifteen-year-old Dau Akueng and 12-year-old Chol Achiek were killed while walking home from basketball in Cobblebank earlier this month.
Homicide Squad detectives, supported by the VIPER youth gang taskforce, carried out raids at about a dozen properties across Melbourne’s west and north at 6am on Friday.
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Those arrested include a 19-year-old Thornhill Park man, a 19-year-old man from Caroline Springs, an 18-year-old Wollert man, three 16-year-old boys and a 15-year-old boy.
Assistant Commissioner Martin O’Brien said the investigation had been “exhaustive and complex”.
“The word senseless has been used so many times already in relation to the deaths of Dau Akueng and Chol Achiek, because the reality is that it doesn’t make sense,” he said.
“Two children walking home after playing sport, who should have had decades of their lives ahead of them. Instead, their devastated families are grieving their loss and all the things they will never get to see two children grow up to achieve and experience.”
Police say patrols in Cobblebank will remain increased as the investigation continues.
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