Raipur
Police have arrested a 19-year-old man for allegedly sexually assaulting and murdering a seven-year-old boy in Ganeshpur village under Pali police station limits. The accused, identified as Ranjit Kumar, reportedly dumped the minor’s body in a 12-foot-deep well to conceal the crime.
The victim, Ayan, son of local farmer Shivkumar Khursenga, had gone to a village pond to bathe with his friends on the afternoon of 2 April. While his friends returned home, Ayan went missing. Following an unsuccessful search by the family and relatives, the victim’s parents approached the police when they learnt that Ayan was last seen with their neighbour, Ranjit Kumar.
Village elders convened a meeting on 3 April to locate the boy. During the gathering, Kumar provided evasive responses, which deepened the community’s suspicion. On 4 April, Pali police station in-charge Nagesh Tiwari reached the village and interrogated the suspect.
During the questioning, Kumar confessed to the crime. He revealed that he was in an inebriated state when he spotted the boy at the pond. He lured the child to an isolated spot where he attempted to sexually assault him. When the boy resisted and began screaming, Kumar panicked. Fearing that the child would inform his parents, the accused struck the boy’s head four times with a stone, killing him on the spot.
Kumar then carried the body to a well located in a field in the neighbouring Kartali village and threw it inside. Based on the information provided by the accused, police recovered the body from the well.
Chhattisgarh police have registered a case of murder and relevant sections of the POCSO Act against Kumar. A local court has remanded the accused to judicial custody.
