Jashpur: A 27-year-old man has been arrested in Chhattisgarh's Jashpur district for allegedly murdering his cousin's four-year-old son and removing his kidneys, lungs and eyes in an attempt to sell the organs online, police said.
The accused, identified as Basudev alias Tangnu, allegedly committed the crime after developing an idea of making quick money by selling human organs, influenced by content he browsed on social media, Jashpur Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Lal Umed Singh said.
The child's body was discovered stuffed inside a sack and dumped in a water-filled pit near a maize field in Lodhenapath Mahua village. The body had been wrapped in a blanket and quilt and partially covered with soil, police said.
The victim, identified as Jitendra Ram, had been missing since November 5. His father, Ramjeet Ram (36), lodged a complaint at Sanna police station on Saturday, following which a search was launched, the SSP said.
Ramjeet had moved with his family to Sanna village around a year ago for work and lived in a hut near the Aamatchua river dam. Basudev, who is the complainant's maternal cousin, used to visit their house, Singh said.
While searching for the child with other family members on Saturday, Ramjeet found his son's body in the pit.
During the investigation, police detained Basudev, a resident of nearby Chalni Gorrapath village. During interrogation, he allegedly confessed to the crime and told investigators that he was unhappy with his earnings from daily wage work and wanted to make more money.
According to the SSP, the accused regularly browsed social media for ways to earn quick money and subsequently developed the idea of extracting and selling organs from young children.
On November 5, Basudev allegedly lured the child and took him to different places. He reportedly bought liquor and chicken and made the boy consume alcohol.
After the child became intoxicated and fell asleep, the accused allegedly slit his throat with a knife and cut open his body. He removed the child's kidneys, lungs and eyes and kept the organs in a plastic bucket, Singh said.
The accused then allegedly wrapped the body in a blanket and quilt, placed it inside a sack and dumped it in a water-filled pit in a field before covering it with soil.
Acting on the accused's disclosure, police recovered the weapons allegedly used in the crime, a plastic bucket containing the removed body parts and other related materials from a pit in the area, the SSP said.
Further investigation into the case is underway. (with inputs from media organisations)