Missing boy found dead in canal, family cries murder
NEWDELHI: A 10-year-old boy who had gone missing after school hours on Wednesday was found dead in a canal in south Delhi’s Jaitpur on Saturday, police said.
Family members of the boy cried murder and alleged that the boy’s throat was slit.
Investigators remained clueless about the motive behind the suspected murder as well as the suspects until late Saturday.
Chinmoy Biswal, deputy commissioner of police (southeast), initially told Hindustan Times that registering a murder case was in order, but later issued an official statement saying investigators would proceed with the case after they receive the autopsy report and medical opinion on the case.
The boy, Akash Kumar Jha, was a class four student at a government school in Meethapur where he lived with his parents and a younger sister. His father, Sanjay Kumar Jha, works for a private firm.
“Akash was walked to school by his mother on Wednesday morning. CCTV footage showed him walking towards his school, but not leaving it,” said Akash’s cousin, Ashutosh.
When the school ended, Akash’s mother reportedly ran late to pick him from school.
“When she reached school, Akash was not to be seen. We searched in the neighbourhood before informing the police. They registered a kidnapping case,” said Ashutosh.
“We asked his classmates about his whereabouts. One of the boys revealed that Akash was approached by an unidentified man who told the boy to purchase gutkha from a nearby shop. We suspect that man, but do not know his identity,” Ashutosh added.
While a search for the boy continued, his body was discovered in the Agra Canal passing next to Meethapur by some locals around 9.30am on Saturday who informed the police.
The canal flows near the school.
The boy was found in his school uniform, said his cousin.
“The body was found in the shallow part of the Agra Canal. The body was fished out and inspected by a crime team before it was sent to AIIMS for postmortem. Akash’s parents then came to identify him. His father immediately identified him before falling unconscious. He had to be hospitalised,” said Ashutosh.
Akash’s relatives said they did not have any enemies and did not suspect any known individual’s role in the murder.
The family had not received any ransom call either.