Mumbai Boy's Skull Recovered Day After His Headless Body Found In Mangroves

Mumbai Police on Tuesday recovered the skull of a 12-year-old boy whose headless body was found in mangroves in Wadala area nearly 35 days after he went missing, an official said.

The boy, identified as Sandeep Yadav, had been missing since January 28 after he went out with one Bipul Sikari, also a resident of Wadala. A day before Sandeep's headless body was found.

Police said when Sandeep's father Bechai Yadav and others had confronted Sikari, he had told them that he handed over the boy to a transgender person.

"Sikari was thrashed and was subsequently taken to Wadala Truck Terminus police station. A cop told him to wash the blood but Sikari fled taking advantage of the circumstances," the official said.

Sandeep was the only child of the Yadav couple born 14 years after their marriage.

Meanwhile, police registered a case of kidnapping and continued the search for the boy.

Police were informed on Monday that a headless body was lying in mangroves in the Wadala creek area, the official added.

He was identified by his father with the help of his clothes, footwear, and a 'kada' he was wearing.

During a search on Tuesday, police found the skull lying 15-20 feet away from the spot where the corpse was found earlier.

Police have added sections 302 (Punishment for murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of the evidence of the offence) of the Indian Penal Code and formed teams to nab Sikari.

According to the official, Sikari is a resident of West Bengal and was arrested in a murder case earlier.

He had jumped parole in the previous murder case and came to Mumbai, the official said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)