Jammu, May 8 -- An 18-year-old youth was brutally killed and his minor brother seriously injured at their home in Kathua district on Wednesday evening, officials said on Thursday. The deceased was identified as Nakul Singh and his critically younger brother as Nikhil Singh, 16, of ward number 10 near Rajbagh in Kathua. The incident happened when the victims were alone at home, officials said. Their father passed away four years ago, and their mother works as a PHE employee, they added. "Around four years ago, the father of the two boys passed away. Since the boys' father was a PHE employee, their mother was appointed on compassionate grounds," a police official said. The crime came to light after their mother returned home around 5 pm on Wednesday and found her sons lying drenched in blood inside the house. Both victims were immediately rushed for medical assistance. However, Nakul Singh had already succumbed to his injuries. Police said a case under Section 103 (murder) and 109 (attempt to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has been registered against unidentified persons. "It would be premature to say anything at this stage. We are investigating the case from several angles. A cricket bat was used by the attackers,"said Kathua senior superintendent of police, Mohita Sharma. "From the crime scene we recovered a blood-stained cricket bat, which indicates that the victims were brutally assaulted with it," said the officer. He also informed that the deceased's mobile phone was missing from the house, suggesting the attackers took it before fleeing. On Thursday, Nakul's post-mortem was conducted in the presence of an executive magistrate at the Government Medical College, Kathua. Meanwhile, Nikhil remains critical and is on a ventilator at AIIMS, Vijaypur. Police have detained around four to five of Nakul's friends for questioning....