Financial difficulty appears to be main reason for the kidnap and murder of the eight-year-old boy at Anakapalle.
Konathala Uday, a student of Std. I, was kidnapped on Friday night from Gavarapalem the area of his residence, and his decomposed body was found at Koppaka on the banks of Yeluru canal, which is located about 4 km from his house.
According to sources, the police have taken into custody B. Manoj, a 20-year-old youth, from the same locality, and it is learnt that due to financial difficulty he had committed the crime.
Sources in the police say that due to vices Manoj was steeped in debts and to clear the debts he had hatched a plan to kidnap the boy and make some money by demanding a ransom.
Manoj had kidnapped the boy on Friday and demanded Rs. 1 lakh from the boy’s father, Srinivasa Rao, a financier.
Later, realising that the boy would disclose his identity, he smothered him to death with a plastic bag and dumped the boy in a bush at Koppaka, beside the canal, on the same day.
The police reportedly picked up Manoj after tracking the call tower locations.
The police are still investigating the case to find out the involvement of others. While one version says that Manoj was the only accused, another says that two others may be involved.
The finer details of the case and the accused are likely to be presented before the media on Tuesday.
