Man arrested for killing 5-year-old cousin to teach his mother lesson

A 22-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly strangling his 5-year-old cousin and slitting his throat to “teach the boy’s mother a lesson” over frequent disputes with her husband, officials said on Saturday. The accused has been identified as Ravi Kumar, a labourer who sold fish by the roadside, they said.

“A PCR call was received at 12.20 pm on March 5 reporting that the body of a five-year-old child with sharp injuries on the neck had been found in an under-construction building in Mohan Garden, about 50 yards from his house,” a senior police officer said.

The victim’s father, Pachu Mahto, told the police that his son had been missing since March 3, and Ravi Kumar had first noticed the body around noon on March 5. Initially, Mahto suspected his wife of having killed their son as she had recently left the house following family disputes. Police analysed her call detail records and traced her to Chhapra in Bihar, where she was questioned. She denied any involvement and said she had left home due to frequent quarrels.

Investigators later analysed CCTV footage from the area and spoke to local vendors and shopkeepers. The footage showed the child last seen with Ravi Kumar at around 3.24 pm on March 3, raising suspicion against him, officials said.

He told the police that he was angry at the boy’s mother over frequent disputes with his maternal uncle (her husband) and wanted to teach her a lesson.

On March 3, after consuming alcohol, he took the child to an under-construction building, pushed him to the ground and strangled him. He then slit the boy’s throat with a kitchen knife, police said.

A post-mortem examination was conducted at Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital on March 6, and a case under Section 103(1) (murder) was registered. Police said the knife used in the crime has been recovered.