A minor boy was allegedly kidnapped and murdered by his cousin for Rs 10 lakh ransom in Bolangir district of Odisha. The decomposed body of the minor was recovered from Siker forest on Wednesday.
The deceased, Mohan Kumar, hailed from Sirabhatapada in Titlagarh. The accused, who has been detained by police, has confessed to the crime.
As per reports, Mohan was kidnapped by his 23-year old cousin brother when he was on his way to tuition on April 23 afternoon. When the minor boy didn’t return home, his anxious parents lodged a missing complaint at Titlagarh police station.
Meanwhile, the kidnapper demanded Rs 10 lakh ransom from the parents of the minor boy through a Whatsapp message to release him. He threatened to kill the boy if the ransom was not paid to him.
Titlagarh police launched a search operation following the development and detained. During interrogation, the accused confessed to have killed the boy.
Further investigation into the incident is underway and the accused is being questioned, the police said.
“We had never thought that the accused will do this kind of criminal act. He was a very dear distant relative to our family and he used to shower a lot of care and affection on Mohan. We are all shocked to the core by the incident,” said Kailash Chhura, a close relative of the deceased.
(Edited by Ramakant Biswas)