12-year-old found dead in field, friend under lens

PILIBHIT: The police recovered the body of a 12-year-old boy missing since Friday night from a sugarcane field on Saturday morning. The boy had gone along with his friends on Friday evening to watch the Navratri celebrations at a fair organized in the village but did not return home at night. An FIR has been lodged under IPC’s section 302 (murder) against a youth who is a friend of the victim.
According to police sources, the boy, a resident of village Sondha under Seramau North police station, was a student of class VIII at a local government school. He had gone to the Navratri fair along with two of his friends — one of them is eight years old while the other, identified as Dharmendra, is 19.
After spending time at the Navratri mela, the three boys went to a farmland and allegedly harvested paddy crop in a field to make some money. Both grain and husk can be sold. The husk is used as fodder. It is not clear where the boys spend the night,
When the boys did not return home that night, worried family members of the minor boys launched a search. In the morning, the 12-year-old’s body was found in a cane field. The body was found some 5 metres into the field.
The deceased’s father informed police who rushed to the spot. Police said there were bruise marks on his neck, The body has been sent for post-mortem to ascertain cause of death.
The CO, Puranpur, Rajeshwar Singh, told TOI that the boy’s father has filed a named complaint at the police accusing Dharmendra alias Happy for killing his son. An FIR has been lodged under section 302 of the IPC.
Police said the boy’s family learned about the murder from the second minor who returned home safe. A raid was conducted at Dharmendra’s house to arrest him. However, he along with his family had fled, leaving the house in the care of two elderly women. A hunt is on to nab Dharmendra, police said.