The body of a two-year-old boy buried over a month ago, was exhumed from the grave after his parents filed a murder case against an acquaintance, police said on Saturday.
The accused, Rahul Pareek (26), a resident of Borkhera was arrested on Friday evening for allegedly kidnapping and strangling the boy, police said.
According to police, the victim’s family and Pareek had been acquaintances for the last six months as the accused runs a shop near their home. The victim’s mother, Khushbu often left her son, Ansh (2), with Pareek at his shop to run errands.
On April 15 as well Khushbu left Ansh with Pareek to run some errands. Pareek, suspecting that she was having an affair, allegedly beat the victim and strangled him. He recorded the act on his mobile phone, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Hariram Soni said.
He then took him to J.K. Lon hospital and called Khushbu saying that Ansh had met with an accident. When Khushbu and the victim’s father reached the hospital, the doctor had declared Ansh dead, the DSP said.
The family brought the body home without having conducted an autopsy and performed his last rites on April 16, DSP said. None of the family members suspected any foul play in his death.
However, earlier this month, Pareek began sending photos and videos of Ansh being thrashed and strangled, which he had shot while committing the crime. Following this, Khushbu along with her husband filed a complaint at the Vigyan Nagar police station on Friday evening, Soni said.
Following this, the boy’s body was exhumed from the grave and sent for autopsy which showed that he suffered a skull fracture and blood clotting in his lungs which suggested that he was severely beaten and then strangled, he said.
Pareek was arrested on Friday evening under the sections of the Indian Penal Code for kidnapping and murder and under the sections of the SC/ST Act. Further investigation is underway.
