Hyderabad: In a shocking incident, a 22-year-old man kidnapped his five-year-old nephew on Tuesday, and murdered the child after getting drunk and was at a loss how to ask for the intended ransom.
The child, R. Yashraj Kumar, was strangled and his body dumped near Peeran Lake in Narsingi. In an act of horrifying brutality, the face had been mutilated by burning it and smashing it with a boulder. It was found by morning walkers the next morning.
The alleged murderer, Vinod Kumar, a resident of Dhoolpet, Mangalhat, was arrested by police on Tuesday. It was found that he wanted money to get his bike back from financiers who had seized it as he had not repaid the money he owed them.
The mother of five-year-old Yashraj, R. Deepika, said that her son went missing after 4 pm on Tuesday.
“As usual, I picked up my son from school and reached home. After having snacks, he went out to play. In, between he came back home and went out again. Later, when I searched for him, I could not find him anywhere. I informed my husband and we went to the police station and lodged a complaint.”
Sleeping victim was killed
Hyderabad: Mangalhat inspector G. Sridhar said Vinod Kumar, Deepika’s cousin, took away her son R. Yashraj Kumar after promising him chocolates.
“First, Vinod took the kid with him to Puranapul in a shared autorickshaw. Then, they travelled towards Narsingi by changing two or three autorickshaws. He got down at Upparpally and drank two bottles of illicit liquor. As he became inebriated, the boy became adamant to return home. However, Vinod took him to Narsingi in another autorickshaw by which time the kid was tired and fell asleep,” said the inspector.
An inebriated Vinod could not call the victim’s parents to seek the ransom.
“Vinod did not have a cellphone. He got confused and did not know what to do with the boy. As the kid was sleeping, he got down from the vehicle and walked towards a deserted place and strangulated the victim. Later, he tried to burn the body,” said Sridhar.
