LAHORE, Feb 5: A 14-year-old boy died of critical burns shortly after he was allegedly set ablaze in a small tent on the premises of a private college on Sanda Road on Saturday.

City division SP Dr Shahzad Asif told Dawn that the Islampura police rushed to the National Arts College around 10am after receipt of information and found the body in flames.

He said the victim was pronounced dead at the scene as his body was completely burnt in the tent erected by the contractor of the college's canteen for accommodating the waiters after duty.

He said one of the waiters had brought the victim, ex-employee of the canteen, to the place on Friday night, for unknown reason and apparently fled the scene after the incident.

The canteen's contractor, who altered the police about the incident, told the police that another waiter witnessed the victim asleep before leaving the tent around 9am.

The SP said the police were quizzing the contractor and his waiters but the victim's name and whereabouts were only known to the suspected waiter who fled.

He said evidence had apparently been destroyed by the killer(s) with the help of blaze, adding that post-mortem examination would be carried out to ascertain the exact cause of death.

Police have registered a case.