Man arrested for kidnapping and killing 9-year-old boy

MUMBAI: The police on Saturday arrested a 31-year-old man in Bihar for allegedly kidnapping and killing a nine-year-old boy from Santacruz West

MUMBAI:

Man arrested for kidnapping and killing 9-year-old boy

The police on Saturday arrested a 31-year-old man in Bihar for allegedly kidnapping and killing a nine-year-old boy from Santacruz West. The accused, Maheshwar Mukhiya, allegedly kidnapped the boy with the intention to sexually assault him, but then killed him when the boy screamed for help.

According to the police, the boy was kidnapped on the evening of November 7 when he went to the beach near his house along with his family for Chhath Pooja. While walking home, the boy got separated from his family in the crowd. His family only realised he was missing after they reached home, about 3 km from the beach. They then looked for him in the neighbourhood but couldn’t find him, after which they filed a complaint at the Santacruz police station.

Mukhiya, who works in a garment shop in the area, allegedly abducted the boy and strangled him to death. He then dumped the body on the rooftop of a different garment factory, said a police officer.

The police found the boy’s body on November 10 after residents reported a foul stench emanating from the garment factory rooftop. An autopsy revealed that he had died by strangulation, after which the police registered a case of murder. During the investigation, the police examined CCTV footage of the area, which showed the boy with Mukhiya. The police then inquired with Mukhiya’s employer about his whereabouts and learnt that he went to his native place in Bihar the next day.

A police team arrested him from Bihar on Saturday and brought him to Mumbai. “We have produced him before the court where he was remanded to police custody,” said a police officer. During interrogation, Mukhiya allegedly confessed to kidnapping with the intention to sexually assault him.