- Missing five-year-old boy found dead in Gorakhpur.
- CCTV footage showed child leaving with tenant Kalpesh Rai.
- Body found in abandoned house, strangulation marks visible.
- Police detained the tenant; motive remains under investigation.
A five-year-old boy who went missing from Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur was found dead inside a dilapidated house on Friday, with police suspecting he was strangled before his body was concealed under a sack.
The victim, identified as Anshuman Singh, a UKG student and resident of Ward No. 9 in Sahjanwa Nagar Panchayat, had been missing for nearly 24 hours before his body was recovered from an abandoned structure surrounded by bushes, around 500 metres from his home.
Boy Left Home To Buy ‘Fulki’
According to police, Anshuman left home at around 5 pm on Thursday after his grandmother gave him money to buy fulki, a popular street snack. When he failed to return, family members launched a search before informing police later that night.
A case of missing person was immediately registered, and officers began examining CCTV footage from the area.
Tenant Seen With Child In CCTV
During the investigation, CCTV footage allegedly showed the child leaving with Kalpesh Rai (25), a tenant originally from Bakhira in Sant Kabir Nagar district.
Police detained Rai for questioning, and during the subsequent search operation, Anshuman’s body was recovered from a nearby abandoned house.
Officials said the child’s body was found covered with a sack. Injury marks were visible on his face and neck, and preliminary findings suggest he was strangled to death. However, the exact cause of death will be confirmed after the post-mortem examination.
Forensic Team Collects Evidence
Senior police officials, including SSP Dr. Kaustubh, reached the scene along with forensic experts, who collected evidence and sealed the crime scene.
CO GIDA K.N. Anand said police had registered an FIR immediately after receiving the missing complaint and traced the child’s last known movements through CCTV footage.
“The CCTV footage showed the child going with Kalpesh, a tenant residing at the same place. Based on the investigation, the body was recovered and sent for post-mortem. The accused has been taken into custody and is being interrogated,” Anand said.
Police said the motive behind the alleged murder remains under investigation, and further details will emerge based on forensic findings and the accused’s interrogation.
