Body of missing 8-year-old Ludhiana boy found from Doraha canal; uncle confesses to murder

Nikhil Bhardwaj

Ludhiana, August 21

The body of an eight-year-old boy, who was missing since August 18 night, was recovered from Doraha canal here on Sunday morning. The victim, Sehajpreet, was a resident of Abdulapura Basti in the city.

His uncle (Taya) Swaran Singh had allegedly pushed the boy into the canal. The accused was in police custody since Saturday and after hours of questioning, this morning he confessed to having killed the child.

Joint CP City Narinder Bhargav said Swaran Singh had taken Sehajpreet with him on August 18 night on some pretext without informing the family. The same night he pushed the boy into Doraha canal.

On finding the boy missing, the family members lodged a complaint with the police.

When the police scanned the CCTV footage of nearby areas, the suspect was spotted near Jalandhar Bypass. The family members then raised their suspicion on the role of Swaran Singh in the kidnapping. Swaran Singh was apprehended and on being questioned, he confessed to having committed the crime.

Raju, a relative of the deceased, said police had taken Swaran Singh to the canal where he told the exact point where he pushed the boy into the canal. The divers then fished out the body.

A murder case has been registered against the accused. Police said some property dispute was the motive behind the crime. The role of other family members of the accused is also being probed, police added.