Man arrested in Ghaziabad for killing 8-year-old boy

A 22-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly killing an eight-year-old boy by smothering, police said here Wednesday.

The accused, identified as Pappu Kumar, was arrested Tuesday based on a tip-off, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Vaibhav Krishna said.

The minor boy had gone missing on October 26 following which his father had lodged an FIR at the Kavi Nagar police station here, he said.

The body of the missing boy was found in a forested area of Bamheta village two days later, the SSP said, adding that police had been searching for the accused since then.

He was arrested after an informer tipped police off about a suspect matching the description put out by them, he said.

During interrogation, Kumar admitted that he killed the minor, Krishna said.

The victim had apparently walked into Kumar's house and saw him sodomising another boy, following which the accused lured the eight-year-old to an isolated spot and killed him over fears that he might tell his father about the incident, the SSP said.

Kumar used to work for the victim's father as a mason, he added.

Following Pappu's confession, police have booked him under the POCSO Act and sections 302, 201, and 377 of the IPC, Krishna added.