Body of missing boy found in suitcase

A seven-year-old boy was murdered and his body hidden in a suitcase for more than a month allegedly by a neighbour in northwest Delhi’s Swaroop Nagar, police said.

Deputy commissioner of police (northwest) Aslam Khan said the boy, Ashish, had been missing since January 7 and his body was found bundled in a suitcase at Nathupura village on Tuesday morning. “The accused, Avadesh Sakya, has been arrested,” Khan said. Sakya was a tenant of the boy’s family till five years ago but later moved to another house nearby where the body was found.

Police said the accused was allegedly miffed with the boy’s parents as they objected to his habit of partying. He told the police that the boy was close to him and called him ‘uncle’. Police said Sakya, a UPSC aspirant, also did not like it when the parents allegedly refused to send Ashish to meet him. The boy was a Class 1 student at a private school in the area.

On January 7, Sakya allegedly lured the boy into his house by promising to give him a cycle. The police said that he allegedly smothered the boy on the same day but did not try to dispose of the body as CCTV cameras were installed in the street. Instead, he allegedly kept the body in a suitcase, placed it in his bed box, an investigator said.

DCP Khan said that Sakya had confidently accompanied Ashish’s family when they visited Swaroop Nagar police station to register a missing complaint later that day. He did that to avoid any suspicion. During questioning, police had recorded his statement too. At home, he killed a few rats to explain the stench to the neighbours, police said.

The victim’s parents began suspecting Sakya after he stopped visiting them in the last few days even though he had been meeting them frequently before. The family informed the police about their suspicion after which he was questioned again. “This time, he changed his statement repeatedly. Finally, he broke down and confessed to his crime,” a police official privy to the investigation said.

A case under relevant sections has been registered at Swaroop Nagar police station. Sakya has attempted to crack UPSC preliminary examination three times in the past, police said.

NEW DELHI: