TIRUPUR: The police, on Thursday, solved the murder mystery of a three-and-a-half-year-old boy near Palladam. A local youth was arrested for murdering the boy after sexual abuse. Son of Murugan (name changed) of Periya Kammalapatti went missing on May 20 near his house. His body was found with head injuries, in a canal on Tuesday. The police suspected the locals and interrogated around 20 people. On Thursday, they held the boy’s neighbour Ramesh (25). The police said the boy used to play in Ramesh’s home often. When the boy came to his house, as usual, on Sunday, Ramesh sexually abused him. After which the boy died due to asphyxiation. Ramesh then dumped the body in a canal. He hit the boy’s head with a stone to make it look like a head injury.