An 11-year-old boy was found dead inside his home in Madhya Pradesh’s Satna district, with his body discovered hidden in a blue drum, police said. The case has sparked shock in the local community, with a laundry worker emerging as the prime suspect.
The body was recovered from a locked house in Bank Colony under the Kolgawan police station limits after officers forced entry following a missing complaint.
Body Found In Locked House After Mother Raises Alarm
According to police, the incident came to light on Monday afternoon when the boy’s mother, Asha Rajak, returned home around 12:30 pm to find the house locked from the outside and her son missing, reported Hindustan Times.
After searching unsuccessfully, she alerted neighbours and the police. Officers broke open the door and initially noticed bloodstains on a pillow. A subsequent search led to the grim discovery of the child’s body concealed inside a blue drum at around 3 pm.
Additional Superintendent of Police Shivesh Singh Baghel said the boy was alone at home when the incident occurred.
Suspect Absconding, Probe Underway
Police suspect 45-year-old Mathura Rajak, a laundry worker who operated a shop in the same colony, of committing the crime. He is believed to have killed the child by slitting his throat with a sickle. Authorities said the suspect is currently absconding; his shop is shut, and his mobile phone is switched off.
Family members told investigators that Mathura had earlier threatened the boy’s family following a dispute with his father, Ramesh Rajak, who works in Maharashtra. They also alleged that the accused had been harassing Asha in her husband’s absence, leading to a confrontation about 10 days before the incident.
An FIR has been registered under Section 103 (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and efforts are underway to trace the accused.
In a separate incident earlier this month, a 19-year-old college student was killed in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi district after being attacked with a sickle while on her way to college. The accused in that case was later arrested.