The accused works in a private steel plant. (Representational)
A 30-year-old man was arrested Wednesday for allegedly kidnapping and killing a seven-year-old boy in Odisha's Ganjam district four days ago, a senior police officer said.
The minor's mother had filed a missing complaint on January 12 after her son did not return from school, following which an investigation was launched into the case, Berhampur Superintendent of Police Pinak Mishra said.
In her complaint, the boy's mother also said that her friend Debasish Panda, who had taken her son out for school, was nowhere to be found.
Based on the complaint, a team of cops arrested Panda, who works at a private steel plant, after tracking his mobile phone in Sonepur district, the SP said.
"During interrogation, Panda confessed to his crime and told us where to look for the body of the boy, a student of Class I in a private English-medium school. The child's decomposed body was recovered near a temple, about 30 km from Berhampur," he said.
Though the exact reason of the murder was yet to be confirmed, it is suspected that "one-sided love" of the accused for the child's mother might have led to the crime, Mr Mishra claimed.
"Panda is suspected to have made a failed attempt to develop a relationship with the the boy's mother. He probably killed the boy on January 12 considering him to be a hurdle," he said.
During investigation, it was found that the accused had stoned the boy the boy to death near Tara Tarini temple and fled the area, the SP added.