BHOPAL: In a shocking incident, an 11-year-old boy was found murdered and his body hidden inside a blue drum in a locked house near Kolgawan area of eastern Madhya Pradesh’s Satna district on Monday.
The victim has been identified as Shivraj Rajak. He was living with his family in a rented accomodation.
According to the police, the child was alone at home on Monday when the incident happened. His mother, who works as a domestic help, returned to find the house was locked from outside and the boy was missing.
“I told mother that when I left home Shivraj was playing inside the house. My elder brother also returned home from the shop where he works, after which we started searching for Shivraj. Unable to find him anywhere and the house being locked from outside, we reported the matter to the police,” the murdered boy’s elder sister said.
Following this, police reached the spot and broke open the door. The house was found ransacked, with blood stains on a pillow. A blue drum kept in the room also had blood marks on its outer surface. When it was opened, the boy's body was found inside with his throat slit, indicating that he was killed with the sickle.
The victim's mother accused 45-year-old Mathura Rajak, a man known to the family as the murderer. She alleged that he was in one-sided love with her and had been harassing her to marry him. The boy's family believe her refusal may have triggered the crime.
Local sources said the boy’s father, who earlier worked in Maharashtra, has been mentally disturbed and unemployed for the past two years. Mathura had been pressuring the woman to leave her family and live with him.
"Three police teams have been formed to track down the suspect, with searches underway at multiple locations. The body was sent for post-mortem, and a case was registered, ” said Satna district’s additional superintendent of police (ASP) Shivesh Singh Baghel said.