Denied free chips, duo kills 3-year-old in Bihar's Ara

PATNA: A three-year-old boy from Bhojpur, who had difficulty walking, was allegedly killed by two persons after his maternal uncle, who owns a grocery shop, refused to give them free chips. The boy, Karan alias Dhullu from Brahmpur village in Buxar district, had come to Sondhi village on July 5 to attend a family event.
His body was found in a water-filled pit in the village on Monday morning.According to police, one of the accused, Ghutur alias Dharmendra Pandey (25), was arrested and raids were on to arrest another accused, Munna Tatwa.
Rajesh Sah, the boy’s elder maternal uncle, said, “I have a small grocery shop in the village. On July 6, Ghutur and Munna came to my shop and demanded chips for free. When I refused, they threatened me and left. Later, when my nephew went missing, we searched for Ghutur. He claimed to have taken the child home, fed him, and promised to return him soon. We suspected foul play and reported the matter to the police the same night.”
“ However, the child never returned. We found his body in a water pit on Monday morning”, he added.
Boy’s murder sparks protest
The murder sparked outrage among locals, leading to a fourhour blockade of the AraMohania road near Narayanpur village.
Protesters criticised the Jagdishpur police station for allegedly failing to locate the missing child despite the family filing a complaint. The blockade was lifted following the arrest of the main accused.
“We are conducting investigations with assistance from the FSL team and dog squad. The body has been sent to Sadar Hospital for post-mortem examination. We assured the protesters that their grievances will be addressed, and appropriate legal action will be taken,” Jagdishpur SDPO Rajiv Chandra Singh said.