Yash killed over Rs. 20,000?

Police pick up boy’s relative on suspicion that he had abducted the five-year-old

The five-year-old boy Yash Raj Kumar was abducted allegedly by Vinod Kumar, a close relative, who wanted to collect Rs. 20,000 ransom to pay and get his motorcycle released, which was recently seized by financiers.

Confirming that Vinod Kumar had abducted the boy, the investigators said Vinod used to work in a vehicle showroom but was sacked after he reportedly got addicted to liquor.

As he failed to pay the instalments of his bike which he purchased through a financier, the latter took away the bike. He wanted to get back his bike and hatched the abduction plan, the police said.

“The exact motive behind the boy’s murder and involvement of others will be ascertained soon,” West Zone DCP V. Satyanarayana said. Police, which booked a murder case and started probe, found that Yash was lured by Vinod Kumar who offered him chocolates and chips and took the boy along with him on Tuesday evening after he returned from school.

The accused wanted to take the boy to an undisclosed location but strangled him to death in a vehicle and later, dumped the body at Peeram tank. He sprinkled petrol on the body and set it afire. “The body got partially burnt. Injuries on the head indicated that the killer hit the boy with a rock or a blunt object,” a police officer said. The body was recovered near the tank off Are Mysamma junction after morning walkers who found it and informed the police.

The boy’s school ID card was also found near the body. After searching for him in their locality, the boy’s parents approached the Mangalhat police who registered a case of missing person. Even as the police continued the searches and alerted all police stations in and around the city, a message was received that the boy was found murdered at Peeram tank.

Anil, who hails from Karnataka, is a salesman in a local cloth store.