Headless, Decomposing Body Of Missing Toddler Found In Field; Neighbor Arrested For Kidnapping, Murder

A 3-year-old boy who disappeared on Nov. 30 from near his residence in east Delhi's Preet Vihar area in India was found headless after being allegedly kidnapped and killed by his neighbor, police said Tuesday.

The victim's decomposing and headless body was recovered from a field in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, Tuesday morning. Police suspected that the body was either chopped or mangled by animals, The Indian Express reported.

The boy's disappearance made the victim's family and other locals protest, alleging police inaction. It affected the traffic movement on Vikas Marg near Preet Vihar police station. Police said they had to make necessary rerouting to ensure the smooth flow of traffic.

In the first information report (FIR) filed by the victim's family, the accused's age was said to be 16 years old. However, the documents recovered from his house proved that he was over 18 years old, police said, adding that legal action concerning the incident was being taken, NDTV reported.

It is believed that the accused, who has been arrested, had kidnapped the minor to sexually abuse him, police said. However, only the postmortem examination report will determine if the victim was sexually assaulted, a senior police officer said.

Amrutha Guguloth, Deputy Commissioner of Police (East), said information from the accused's uncle revealed that the accused came to Delhi and currently staying at his residence in Jagatpuri.

"A police team was sent to the Jagatpuri residence and the accused was taken into custody. On sustained interrogation, the accused revealed that he left the child in a sugarcane field at Meerut. Thereafter, a team was sent to Meerut where it came to notice that local police have already discovered a body without head and limb," Guguloth said.

"The head was also found nearby. On the basis of the belongings and clothes, the body was identified to be that of the missing child from Preet Vihar area. The accused has been arrested and further investigation in the case is on," the DCP said.

The matter was reported to the police by the victim's family on Nov. 30 after the boy and his neighbor both went missing from the slum cluster of Chitra Vihar the same day, police said.

Later on, a case of kidnapping was registered under Section 365 (kidnapping or abducting with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine a person) of the Indian Penal Code. An investigation was launched. Police have also added the section on murder to the FIR.

Based on the preliminary investigation, when the accused was 11 years old, he had also taken a minor somewhere, but he reportedly came back with the minor.

Meanwhile, the accused has not yet confessed to killing the child nor stated the reason for the kidnapping, police said.