The Barasat Police arrested on Sunday the uncle of the 11-year-old boy who was kidnapped and murdered at the town in the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal.
The boy, who went missing on June 9, was strangulated and his mutilated body was recovered from the bathroom of his uncle’s house on June 13.
“The prime suspect, Enger Nabi, the deceased boy’s uncle, was constantly changing his statements. That made us suspect him and further investigate the matter,” said Barasat Superintendent of Police, Pratiksha Jharkhariya, at a press briefing.
“The suspect and the deceased boy’s father are siblings and a dispute over ancestral property led to the murder,” Ms. Jharkhariya said.
Following the discovery of the boy’s body, rumours of child lifting spread in Barasat, Ashoknagar, Barrackpore, and Bongaon. Police arrested four Facebook group administrators for spreading misinformation that caused violence.
Rumours on social media claimed that child abductors were active in North 24 Parganas district and they were stealing organs of young children. The Barasat Police quashed the rumours and put out a statement saying, “There is no incident of child abduction in Barasat. Don’t listen to any rumours.”
However, multiple cases of mob violence were reported in the area. On Saturday, a homeless man was attacked in Bongaon after locals mistook him for a child-lifter. The injured man was admitted to the sub-divisional hospital.
On June 21, an angry mob in Ashoknagar beat up a 28-year-old woman with mental illness while she was riding a bicycle. Three policemen were injured trying to save her and eight suspects were arrested in the case. Another man was beaten up in Barrackpore on suspicion of child theft. In Barasat, three people, including a woman, were attacked. Police cars were vandalised in the violence.
