Minor found dead in Mankhurd, police not sure if it was murder or accident

Mystery surrounds the death of 11-year-old boy, whose body was found at a deserted spot in Mandala, Mankhurd on Monday morning.

Mystery surrounds the death of 11-year-old boy, whose body was found at a deserted spot in Mandala, Mankhurd on Monday morning.

Jeet Sharma, who lived in a slum in Mankhurd, went missing from home on Sunday night. The boy was last seen participating in a Hanuman Jayanti procession. His family lodged a missing person’s complaint. The police registered a case of kidnapping, according to the Supreme Court directive that stated that all complaints of missing children under the age of 14 be filed as kidnapping.

A rag-picker found his body near a temple in the vicinity of a kiln that had been shut for several years. “There were no external injuries. The post-mortem revealed there were no internal injuries too,” said a police officer privy to the investigation. “We have preserved his viscera for chemical analysis. The histopathology report will put further light on the cause of death.”

Police said no eye-witnesses have come forward. “Doctors have reserved their opinion. They will come to a conclusion only after the chemical analysis,” said Shahji Umap, deputy commissioner of police, zone 6, adding they are not sure if it is a murder or an accident.