Five-year old’s kidnap and murder: Family, locals demand fast-track trial

The child’s family members demanded that the case be tried in a fast-track court. They expressed disappointment that no political leader turned up to support the grieving family.

Speaking at the cremation ground, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Sandeep Kumar Malik termed the incident “tragic and unfortunate.” He said police launched a search operation soon after the child was reported missing. The CCTV footage showed a man riding an Activa scooter with the boy sitting in front, while he pulled the vehicle along.

The scooter was traced to a godown in the vegetable market, where the accused, identified as Manke Yadav, a migrant labourer from Uttar Pradesh, worked. He was picked up late Tuesday night.

Police said Yadav, an alcoholic, was heavily intoxicated during interrogation and initially refused to admit his role in the abduction. After sustained questioning, he led the police to the cremation ground where the child’s body was recovered.

A preliminary probe revealed that the accused had approached Harbir while he was playing in the street and lured him away. The exact conversation between the two and the motive behind the killing remain under investigation. Police have said forensic and medical reports will provide further clarity.

The postmortem was conducted on Thursday and the boy’s body was handed over to the family. The SSP assured that the investigation would be pursued fast track to ensure justice.