Faridabad man held for allegedly killing 3-year-old stepson over family dispute

Police said the accused confessed during questioning. The alleged murder weapon was recovered, and he has been remanded to police custody.

A three-year-old boy whose body was found with his throat slit in Faridabad’s Shiv Durga Vihar on Sunday morning was allegedly murdered by his stepfather, who police said killed the child because he was upset that his wife frequently visited her son from a previous marriage.

Investigators said the accused was upset over his wife’s visits to her son from a previous marriage. A knife was recovered during the probe. (File photo)

Police on Wednesday said the accused, 26, a resident of SGM Nagar, Faridabad, was arrested by a crime branch team on Tuesday. Police recovered the alleged murder weapon, a knife, from the residence of the family on Wednesday, officers added.

According to investigators, the accused had married the victim’s mother about a year ago. Police alleged he developed hatred towards the child, leading to repeated quarrels with his wife.

“The deceased’s mother frequently visited her parental home in Shiv Durga Vihar from SGM Nagar to meet her son from her previous marriage, which used to annoy the accused,” Yashpal Yadav, public relations officer of Faridabad police, said.

Yadav said the deceased’s mother had arrived at her parental home with the accused three days before the incident. Police alleged the accused took advantage of the situation, slit the child’s throat with a knife while he was alone in a room and his maternal aunt was asleep in another room, then left the house to avoid suspicion before returning after receiving a call about the incident.

The child’s body was discovered around 11am on Sunday after his mother returned from the market. The house owner alerted the police control room, and an FIR under Section 103(1) (murder) was registered at Surajkund police station on the complaint of the boy’s maternal grandfather.

“After thorough investigation and stern interrogation, he finally confessed to murdering the boy, leading to his arrest,” Yadav said, adding that further investigation is underway. The accused was produced before a court in Faridabad on Wednesday, which remanded him to one-day police custody for interrogation.