Mumbai: The Malad police have initiated investigations into the murder of a two-year-old boy who had been missing since Monday and was found dead in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
According to the Malad police, the deceased, Vivan Kandu, stayed with his parents in the Kachpada area in Malad. The police said Vivan went missing while playing outside his residence between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Monday.
“Vivan’s mother came out of her house to check on him around 4 p.m. and found that he was nowhere to be seen. She alerted her husband, and the couple, with the help of some neighbours, launched a search for him. After searching for him in vain for a couple of hours, they approached us and informed us about the matter,” said an officer with the Malad police.
In keeping with the procedure while dealing with cases of missing minors, the police registered a case of kidnapping against unknown persons under the Indian Penal Code and initiated investigations.
“We enlisted the aid of sniffer dogs, who followed Vivan’s trail from outside his house to a spot not too far away. We fanned out in the area and found Vivan’s body wrapped in a sheet of plastic,” said Senior Police Inspector Sudhir Mahadik.
The body was taken to Ambedkar Hospital in Kandivali, where the boy was formally declared dead and taken to Bhagwati Hospital for post mortem examination.
“Post mortem has confirmed asphyxia as the cause of death and sexual assault has been ruled out. We have added the section for murder under the Indian Penal Code to the case and are conducting further inquiries into the matter,” Mr. Mahadik added.
The police are questioning Vivan’s uncle in connection with the matter, as the body was found a short distance away from his residence. However, inquiries till now have not thrown up any indications to confirm his involvement in the offence.
The investigating team is also scanning footage from closed-circuit television cameras in the area and are scouring the area for anyone who might have seen Vivan being taken away, or his body being dumped. Inquiries are also under way with family members and friends to find out if the murder could have been committed to settle a personal score, said sources.
