On July 11, the body of a nine-year-old boy, with several puncture wounds, was found in a DDA park in Pul Prahaladpur. Two months on, the investigators haven’t made a headway in the case and the father has now decided to approach the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Ravi James, the father of the victim said his son’s killers haven’t been found yet because he isn’t “rich and powerful”.
Mr. James, who has been closely following the case of the seven-year-old boy killed on the premises of Ryan International school in Gurugram, said his son’s body was found with torture marks but still no prompt action was taken to trace his murderer.
“The killer in the Ryan International murder case was arrested in two days, but it’s been two months and the Delhi Police haven’t found anything in my son’s case. I will approach the CBI now,” he said adding “mere bacche ko us se bhi buri tarah se mara gaya tha (my child was murdered more brutally than in the other case)”.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (South East) Romil Baaniya maintained that the police haven’t found any clue in the case so far.
Broken family
Izik’s murder, meanwhile, has taken its toll on family ties. Sitting inside the house of her bed-ridden father in Najafgarh, Izik’s mother Santosh James said she and her husband separated a week ago because Mr. James suspected her involvement in their son’s murder.
“He was in a lot of pain because of the murder. We both were. But he would get drunk regularly and tell me ‘tune marwaya hai mere bacche ko (you got my son killed)’,” she said. “How can a mother do that to her child,” she asked.
Mr. James said he has his reasons for suspecting his wife’s involvement. Now living in a makeshift arrangement in Jaitpur, near his workplace, he said, “I was angry when I said it but my suspicion is not misguided. She returned home after six months on June 30. Eleven days later, my son was murdered.”
Ms. Santosh admitted that she left for Jammu with a man she met in December 2016 at Safdarjung Hospital where her father, Jagdish Sharma, was admitted. “I was unhappy with my marriage. Ravi used to beat me up and abuse me. I left for Jammu with the man and returned in April 2017,” she said.
Daughters stay away
The allegations levelled by the husband were reported to the police by Ms. Santosh herself in a complaint against Mr. James. The police said her background was thoroughly checked in Delhi and Jammu , but nothing related to the murder was found against her so far.
Ms. Santosh said her two daughters -- Shikha (22) and Ishika -- have stopped talking to her. Shikha is married in Agra and Ishika in Pul Prahladpur. “My elder daughter’s in-laws don’t want her to talk to us because of the murder in the family. The younger daughter too sides with the father and blames me for breaking us apart,” Ms. Santosh said.
Living in Pul Prahaladpur became difficult for the family after the murder because the landlord allegedly asked the Mr. James to vacate the house. “Nobody wants to give a room to people who are associated with a murder. There are vacant flats but no one is willing to offer them because they don’t want to get into police investigation,” he said.
