Marseille [France], October 6 : In a gruesome incident, a 15-year-old boy was brutally murdered in Marseille, southern France, the prosecutors said. The teenager suffered 50 stab wounds and was then set ablaze, allegedly as a result of escalating drug-related violence, Al Jazeera reported.
Notably, the prosecutors suspect a link between the horrific crime and another recent murder.
While speaking with the reporters on Sunday, Marseille prosecutor Nicolas Bessone said the teenager was murdered on Wednesday, and called the case as one of "unprecedented savagery."
According to Marseille prosecutor Andre Bessone, the 15-year-old victim had been recruited by a 23-year-old prisoner to intimidate a rival by setting fire to his door, with a promised payment of 2,000 euros (USD 2,200).
The L'Yonne Republicaine newspaper identified the mastermind as a detainee at the Aix-Luynes penitentiary near Aix-en-Provence and a member of the DZ Mafia group, according to Al Jazeera.
Marseille, France's second-largest city, struggles with poverty. Recently, the city has been affected by a surge in drug-related violence, known as "narco-homicide" by French media.