A three-year-old boy was beaten to death for playfully chafing a bakery countertop with a pebble in East Delhi’s Geeta Colony area. His body was found stuffed in a sack near his residence the next day, after his father lodged a missing person’s diary. Police said the bakery’s owner and his younger brother have been arrested in connection with the case. Police said the accused have been identified as Mohammad Iliyas and Mohammad Iqrar, residents of Rani Garden. On April 1, the boy’s father Rahees Ahmed, who is a resident of Rani Garden, approached Geeta Colony police station reporting that his son was missing. The following day, police recovered boy’s body in a plastic bag near Taj Enclave society in Rani Garden.
According to police, five teams were formed to investigate the case and over 200 people were vetted. “During investigation, it was established that the boy was last seen near a bakery in Rani Garden C-Block. Bakery owner Iliyas was questioned. During interrogation, Iliyas broke down and confessed to having slapped the boy for abrading the bakery’s countertop with a pebble,” said a police officer. “The accused said the boy fell unconscious and sustained head injuries. He then holed up the boy under the countertop to teach him a lesson. He again beat the boy after which he succumbed to his injuries,” the officer added. Police said Iliyas then wrapped the body in a plastic bag and dumped it at an isolated place. “To destroy evidence, he took the help of his younger brother Iqrar and sold the countertop,” said the officer, adding, “Iqrar has also been arrested after he confessed to the crime.”