Police arrest 2 accused in 4-year-old boy murder at stone quarry in Odisha’s Khurda

Tangi: A probe team today arrested two accused persons in connection with the alleged murder of a minor boy aged around four years, who had gone missing on November 17. His body was subsequently spotted on November 21 with legs and hands tied with a rope at a stone quarry near Ujjwala Gopinathpur village under Bhusandpur outpost and Tangi police limits of Khurda district.

The key accused was identified as Prakash Pradhan alias Mukta (a distant relative of the victim) and his accomplice was identified as Prakash Parida. The probe team seized a Lungi (a typical wearable) of Mukta in which the minor boy’s body was wrapped when found at and recovered from the crime spot.

The arrested duo created the crime scene and confessed to their crime. The motive behind the crime cannot be divulged at a moment when a probe is underway. Police forwarded the arrested to a local court later in the day, a senior cop briefed mediapersons in a press conference held in the morning.

Worth mentioning, the deceased was identified as the son of one Subash Pradhan from the village.

According to a source, the minor had gone to a stone quarry along with a distantly related grandfather on November 17 to take a bath at around 11.00 am. After the boy did not return home for quite long hours, his family searched for him at all possible locations to trace the child but to no avail.

Earlier, the child’s family had lodged an FIR at Bhusandpur outpost in this regard. Acting on the FIR, Tangi police and a team of fire services personnel reached the spot and launched a frantic search.

An ODRAF team also supported the fire services personnel in the search operation. Despite striving for hours, the minor boy was not previously traced but was found dead today in another stone quarry.

On being informed, Tangi police reached the spot and seized the body and launched a probe. Police have detained two persons in this connection, who were later interrogated by the probe team.