Further investigation into the case is underway, the police said (Representational)
Nearly three years after a woman killed her six-year-old son with the help of her brother-in-law in Gujarat's Ahmedabad district, the accused were arrested by the police after a fresh probe was launched into the case, an official said today. The child had discovered his mother and uncle's illicit relationship.
In September 2018, when the incident took place, the accused told the police that the child is missing, the official said.
The child's mother Joshnaben Koli and his uncle Ramesh Koli were arrested on Friday on charges of murder, destruction of evidence, and criminal conspiracy, among others, after the police found that they had strangled the boy, burnt his body, and later thrown the remains into a gutter line, the police said.
" The police were earlier told that the woman's six-year-old son, Hardik, had gone missing from his house on September 28, 2018. At that time, it was said that he had gone out to buy chocolate from a neighbourhood shop but didn't return. After that his family members had approached the police, who registered a case of kidnapping two days later," the police official said.
However, the police failed to trace the boy, he said.
Recently, the police renewed their efforts to trace the boy as part of the Gujarat police's drive to close pending cases of missing children.
Accordingly, special teams were formed to trace the child, said inspector of the anti-human trafficking unit (AHTU) of Ahmedabad (rural) police, Umesh Dhakhada.
"We began investigating the case afresh and started questioning the victim's family members, including his mother Joshnaben Koli and uncle Ramesh Koli. During cross-questioning, several discrepancies were found in the statements of the two accused," he said.
"The child had found out about their illicit affair, and they were afraid that he will spill the beans. As part of their plan to eliminate the boy, his mother took him to a field located in the remotest corner of the village, where his uncle also came," the official said.
"His uncle strangled him to death, while his mother held his hands and gagged him. After his death, the two burnt his corpse in the nearby bushes and buried his remains. Thereafter, Ramesh went to work, and the woman returned home," Mr Dhakhada said.
The following day, Ramesh again went to the site and dug up the place, where they had buried the boy's bones. He took the bones out and threw them into a gutter line nearby, the police official said.
Further investigation into the case is underway, he said.