A 16-year-old boy allegedly kidnapped a three-year-old boy on November 30 from his neighbourhood near east Delhi’s Preet Vihar, lured him to his relative’s village in Meerut, where he raped and killed him, before setting his body on fire in a forested area, the police said on Tuesday.

The child’s charred body was recovered on Tuesday afternoon, after the police apprehended the teenager from his maternal uncle’s home in the Meerut village.

The child’s head was severed and found deeper into the forest. One hand of the dead child was also missing. The police suspect that the body may have been eaten by wild animals.

The teenager went missing after killing the child and then turned up at his uncle’s home on Tuesday morning. The relative informed the police, who were already looking for the child and the teenager since a kidnapping case was registered on November 30, the police said.

On Tuesday evening, the child’s family members surrounded the teenager’s house and tried to attack his relatives. People armed with sticks and other objects also threw stones at the teenager’s house, said a senior police officer, adding that nobody was hurt during these attempted attacks.

“We contained the situation. The angry people were assured that strict action will be taken against the teenager. However, personnel will be deployed all night to ensure the aggrieved family does not resort to any violence,” said joint commissioner of police (eastern range) Chhaya Sharma.

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Kidnapped in neighbourhood?

According to the police, the teenager left his neighbourhood with the child on the evening of November 30, after telling his mother that he was taking him for a walk. When they did not return, the child’s family went out to search for their son. They also visited the teenager’s house and asked his family, who were also worried and looking for their son.

When the child could not be found, his family approached the Preet Vihar police station and filed a missing complaint, in which they said they suspected that the teenager may have kidnapped him. The teenager’s location could not be traced since he was not carrying a cellphone.

“We registered a case of kidnapping and followed all the procedures such as circulating his details and photographs in police stations across Delhi-NCR to trace the missing child. We also raided the house of the teenager’s relatives in Delhi and the adjoining states. Everyone was asked to inform the police if the boy turned up,” said Sharma.

On Tuesday, the teenager was apprehended after he returned to his uncle’s home. He initially tried to mislead the police by claiming that the child was not with him. But when confronted with some evidence, the boy confessed to killing the child. He led the police to the forested area, where he had dumped the body wrapped in a blanket and set it on fire. A team from the local police in Meerut had already reached that spot after someone informed them about the child’s decomposed body.

“The teenager told us that he tried to sodomise the child but he fell unconscious. He panicked and killed the child. Thereafter, he wrapped his body in the blanket and set it on fire before fleeing the crime scene,” the joint CP added.

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