11-year-old boy found dead in Mumbai suburbs

The body of an 11-year-old boy was found in a deserted place in Mandala, Mankhurd on Monday morning.

Jeet Sharma lived in a slum area in Mankhurd, with parents and brothers. His father, who works as a mason, is currently out of town.

Sharma had been missing from his home since Sunday night. His body was discovered by a garbage cleaner near a temple, in the vicinity of a kiln that had been shut for several years.

Before his body was discovered, his family members in the early hours of Monday approached the police and reported him as missing. The police registered a case of kidnapping, as per the Supreme Court directive stating that all complaints of missing children under the age of 14 be filed as cases of kidnapping.

“The boy left his residence on Sunday night. When he did not return, his family members began searching for him,” said Shahji Umap, deputy commissioner of police, zone 6.

“There are no visible injuries on his body. We are waiting for the post-mortem reports so we can ascertain the cause of death,” said Umap.

“The boy was last seen participating in a local Hanuman Jayanti procession on Sunday,” said Sanjay Vernekar, senior police inspector, Mankhurd police station.

The police have prima facie ruled out sexual assault but are yet to investigate further. They are also trying to trace down any eye witnesses in the case.