10-year-old boy found brutally murdered in Kathua, 4 held

The body of a 10-year-old boy was found stuffed in gunny bag in Saidpur village of Kathua district on Wednesday night

The body of a 10-year-old boy was found stuffed in gunny bag in Saidpur village of Kathua district on Wednesday night.

The body of a 10-year-old boy was found stuffed in gunny bag in Saidpur village of Kathua district (HT PHOTO)

The victim, who was found dead with his mouth taped shut and limbs tied with cloth, was the son of one Raman Gupta. Police have arrested Pawan Kumar Saini, 55, his minor son and two other minors. Saini, who has confessed, said he committed the murder over an old rivalry with the Guptas.

Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Ramesh Kotwal, the Kathua district police chief, said, “We are yet to ascertain the motive, but four people have confessed to the crime. We are probing the involvement of other people. The accused minors have been sent to the juvenile centre in RS Pura. The victim had strangulation marks around his neck. It appears he died due to suffocation. ”

“On July 6, the victim had just returned home after attending tuition classes when one of the accused minors, who occasionally worked at Gupta’s house, took him with him. When he did not return home, his father registered a police complaint around 8.30pm. His body was found around 1.5km away from his house, hidden in Saini’s fields.”

A case under Sections 302 (murder), 364 (kidnapping), and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered .