Odisha man held for killing minor boy

A man in Odisha’s Balasore district, who desperately wanted a grandchild, allegedly killed a minor boy to please the deities.

The Khantapada police in Balasore arrested Laxmidhar Mallick, who confessed to committing the crime on Saturday.

“Mallick, a resident of Nuapur village under the Bahanaga block, was under tremendous stress because his son and daughter-in-law did not have children despite being married for five years,” said Sanjay Parida, inspector-in-charge of Khantapada. He was reportedly advised by a woman who believed in black magic that if a minor child was sacrificed, fortune would favour him.

Mallick followed one Himansu Batham (7), grandson of Ramakant Mallick of the same village, for several days. When the accused found the boy playing alone, he lured him with chocolate. At a lonely place, the man reportedly strangulated the boy and flung his body into a pond.

When the boy’s body was discovered, it appeared to be a case of drowning. However, villagers found that his pant was soaked with blood and pressured the police to investigate the incident as a murder case.

“We picked up the accused as villagers had last seen the boy following him. Mallick has confessed to his crime. We are investigating to find out who abetted the murder,” said Khantapada police IIC.