Drunk Father Allegedly Strangles 9-Year-Old Son To Death For Failing To Find His Phone

A drunk man who allegedly strangled his 9-year-old son to death in India after the boy failed to find the man's missing phone has been arrested.

The suspect, identified as Mukesh Batham from a village in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, was arrested on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder Wednesday. The incident came to light after the victim's grandfather, Lakhan Singh, registered a complaint against Batham for murdering the 9-year-old boy in front of his 4-year-old sister, Deccan Herald reported.

According to the police complaint, Batham came home in an inebriated state Tuesday night and asked the victim to search for his mobile phone. Batham forgot where his phone was kept and when the child failed to find it, he reportedly got agitated. In a fit of rage, he brutally strangled the child while his little sister watched it in horror.

Hearing the girl's cries, the grandparents who stayed nearby rushed to the home but the child died by then. Batham reportedly fled the house after the incident.

The police found out that Batham was an alcoholic and his wife had left with four of their six children eight months ago. Since then, Batham was living with the victim and the 4-year-old girl, The Times of India reported.

The child's body has been sent for an autopsy and further investigations are underway, Dharmendra Kumar, an investigating officer said.

Earlier this week, a 30-year-old man in India was arrested after he allegedly beat his paralyzed son to death while he was drunk. Ajmer Singh, from Delhi, was arrested for murdering his quadriplegic son Paramjeet Singh, who was paralyzed from the neck down and bedridden for 14 years.

Ajmer reportedly used a wooden stick to beat the victim to death. The victim's sister told the police that her father was in an inebriated state when he committed the crime. She reportedly found Paramjeet lying injured in bed when she came home the next day. Paramjeet was taken to a hospital but later succumbed to his injuries.