CCTV footage shows police presence when suspect entered rotary

LUCKNOW: Was the 10- year-old balloon seller murdered while police personnel were present near the 1090 crossing?

It seems so, if one goes by the police’s theory of a suspect being visible in the footages of CCTVs installed around the crossing. The footage shows the suspect entering the rotary around 12.50 am when the boy was sleeping on the pavement inside it.

The footage also shows a police patrolling vehicle present near the spot when the suspect walked across the road and entered the rotary.

The visual shows that the suspect, who maybe around 25 years of age, carrying a bag and leaving the place around 1.45 am. SSP (Lucknow) Deepak Kumar said the suspect is also seen boarding an auto after coming out of the rotary. He said the police teams are making efforts to trace the auto as its driver could give crucial information. The cops are also preparing a list of pavement dwellers, who used to sleep on the pavements near-by, in order to get crucial information about the suspect and the incident.

Earlier, ASP (east) Sarvesh Mishra confirmed that the boy was visible near the rotary around 10.42 pm on Monday night and thereafter slept there. He said one person wearing the same vest – that was found tied around the boy’ s neck–was spotted entering the rotary around 12.50am and thereafter he left the place after an hour (1.45 am ). He said the findings suggest that the same person murdered the boy.

The body of the boy, who often used to sleep at the same place, was found on Tuesday afternoon. An FIR under IPC section 302 for murder against un identified person was lodged with Hazratganj police station after the post-mortem examination confirmed strangulation as the cause of death. He said doctors also preserved samples suspecting sodomy or sodomy attempt.

The boy used to sell balloon son the stretch between Samta-moolak crossing and 1090 crossing and was missing since he left his house near Ba lu Add a around 6pm on Monday.