In a shocking incident, a four-year-old boy, P. Deenadayalan, was allegedly pushed into an unused well by two minor boys following a quarrel between neighbours, in Sivakasi on Monday.
Fire and Rescue Services personnel retrieved the body of the boy on Tuesday morning, after struggling to find it since Monday evening,as the well had water for a depth of 30 feet.
The police said that D. Parthiban, a van driver, had dropped his son Deenadayalan at his mother, Lakshmiammal’s house on Monday. Later, when she alerted him about Deenadalayan missing from the home since afternoon, a complaint was lodged with the Sivakasi Town police.
A team of police, led by Sivakasi Deputy Superintendent of Police, A. Babu Prasanth and Sivakasi Town Inspector of Police, Banumathi, conducted an enquiry on Monday evening. Video footage of a closed circuit television camera showed that Deenadayalan had gone with the two boys, both cousins. However, later, only the cousins returned home.
When the police questioned the boys, who are studying in 8th and 6th standard, they reportedly revealed that they had pushed Deenadayalan into the well.
The police said that the boys were living with their grandmother and Lakshmiammal was their neighbour. The grandmother had quarrelled with Lakshmiammal after Deenadayalan had played on a mound of sand dumped by the neighbour. During the quarrel, Lakshmiammal had shouted at the elder boy.
“The boy had a grudge against Deenadayalan and both the cousins had taken him to the well and pushed him into it,” a police officer said.
The police have altered the case from ‘boy missing’ case to murder. The minor boys have also been charged with kidnapping and destroying evidence.
