Mother’s lover arrested for kidnapping and murder of 1-year-old child in Panchkula

A kidnapping case was registered at the Sector 14 police station, following which multiple crime teams were mobilised. Analysis of CCTV footage led to the identification of the suspect as Ajay Rana, who was later revealed to be in a relationship with the child’s mother.

Initially, the accused attempted to mislead the police, but during sustained interrogation, he confessed to the crime, said a police officer.

According to the police, Ajay Rana stated that he had met Laxmi through Instagram. He claimed that the child often accompanied her during their meetings and that the infant’s crying irritated him, which gradually turned into resentment. Driven by this animosity, he allegedly planned to remove the child from his way.

On the day of the incident, the accused picked up the child from the creche, took him in his auto-rickshaw, and strangled him using a cleaning cloth. He then placed the body in a plastic sack and threw it from a culvert near Rampur Siudi village along the Sukhomajri bypass.

DCP (Crime and Traffic) Manpreet Singh Sudan said that the auto-rickshaw used in the crime has been recovered. The accused was produced before a court, which granted a four-day police remand.

During the remand period, the police will investigate whether any other person was involved in the conspiracy. The post-mortem examination of the child’s body is being conducted at the Civil Hospital, Sector 6, Panchkula.

Reacting to the incident, Panchkula Police Commissioner (ADGP) Shibash Kabiraj termed the crime as “an act that shames humanity”.

“Our team acted swiftly and arrested the accused, but the action will not stop here. I have directed the investigating team to ensure a watertight case so that the accused receives the harshest possible punishment,” said Commissioner Kabiraj.