"Words can't describe me," is how Adnan Patrawala had described himself on his Orkut profile. But reams of newsprint have been devoted in describing this 16-year-old boy since August 19, the day he was kidnapped from Oshiwara, Mumbai.

On Monday night, Adnan's body was found in neighbouring Navi Mumbai. His abductors had panicked when the kidnapping received wide media coverage, and strangled the boy his friends fondly described as "loyal, but naughty".

As news of his death flashed across television channels, hundreds of condolence messages poured into his Orkut scrapbook from his friends, stunned by the tragic turn of events. 

Beyond shock and grief, anger was the overriding emotion in these messages.

While some prayed "may your soul rest in peace", most friends wanted the harshest punishment for his murderers.

The messages ranged from "Your murderers will be found and hanged for what they did" to "I hope the culprits are all above 18 years of age, so that they get the death sentence," and finally "they will all surely go to hell."

Ironically, media reports have suggested that some of Adnan's "friends" were involved in the kidnapping. He had met these friends on Orkut, the most popular social networking site in India.

And this fact has not missed the lakhs of Orkut subscribers in India.

"All members of Orkut, please pray for Adnan's soul. And please use Orkut carefully," advises Naresh.

While another person Abhishek is blunter -- "Your kidnapping could have been avoided if you were not on this cursed site. So beware all other Orkutians, about meeting strangers," he says.

Many still continued to hope against hope. "The news must be wrong," said one, while another said, "Yeh khabar to galat hogi."

But some believed in something else. "I know you will never ever read these scraps. But somehow, in some way, our messages and prayers will reach you," wished a friend.