C'garh: Boy murdered to cover up accident case; 2 arrested

Two persons have allegedly killed a 13-year-old boy to escape police action in connection with an accident in which the victim was injured in Chhattigarh's Bemetara district, police said on Thursday. The two accused - Omprakash Sahu (35) and his brother-in-law Shiv Kumar Sahu (48) - have been arrested and Sahu's 17-year-old son has been detained, they said.

The charred body of the victim was found floating in a pond in Boriya village here on November 16 following which a special team of police was constituted to conduct a probe into the case, Superintendent of Police Divyang Patel said. The victim was a native of the nearby Khurusbod village. He had gone 'missing' on November 9 and his family lodged a police complaint the next day, the official said.

Based on suspicion, the police questioned Omprakash who confessed to have committed the crime, Patel said. He said on November 9 evening, the victim received grievous injuries when a tractor driven by Omprakash's son hit him. Fearing police action, Omprakash, instead of taking the victim to hospital, hid him at a nearby place.

Later, he called up his brother-in-law and the duo took the victim to Boriya village where they allegedly poured petrol on him and set him ablaze, the official said. They then tied the body with cement poles and threw it in the pond to cover up the crime, he said.

Omprakash and his brother-in-law were arrested on Wednesday and his son, a juvenile, was detained, he said. A case has been registered in this connection under Indian Penal Code Sections 302 (murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence), the official said.