A two-year-old boy was allegedly killed by a man after being repeatedly smashed to the ground as the child's mother refused his marriage proposal in Uttar Pradesh’s Firozabad district.
A two-year-old boy was allegedly killed by a man after being repeatedly smashed to the ground as the child's mother refused his marriage proposal in Uttar Pradesh’s Firozabad district. The accused, 24-year-old Viraj alias Jitendra Pathak, was later arrested after an alleged exchange of fire with police.
The victim, Aarav, lived with his mother, Rati Devi, a 24-year-old teacher from the Araon area. Rati had been residing at her parental home after separating from her husband due to marital dispute.
According to police, Rati and her mother, Pinki Devi, travelled to Shikohabad on Saturday to seek legal advice regarding divorce proceedings. As their meeting with an advocate was scheduled for the evening, they stayed at the residence of one of Pinki’s friends.
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Viraj, who runs a grocery shop in Budaun district, is also a cousin of Rati’s husband, had become closely involved with the family while assisting them with the divorce case. During this period, he allegedly developed feelings for Rati and repeatedly proposed marriage, but she consistently turned down his advances.
Police alleged that Viraj followed the family to Shikohabad and once again pressured Rati to finalise her divorce and agree to marry him. When both Rati and her mother refused, he allegedly took little Aarav outside, claiming he was buying the child a toffee.
Around 2.30 pm, Viraj allegedly led the toddler to a deserted stretch about 50 metres from the house and killed him. Police said CCTV footage reviewed during the investigation allegedly shows the accused throwing the child onto the road at least eight times.
(This video contains very disturbing visuals. Viewer's Discretion is advised)
After the assault, the accused allegedly abandoned the severely injured child outside the house and fled the scene. Family members reportedly discovered Aarav near the gate roughly 10 minutes later.
Senior police officers rushed to the location and launched an intensive investigation. The child’s body was sent for a postmortem examination. Police believe the accused viewed Aarav as an obstacle to his desire to marry Rati.
An FIR was registered at Shikohabad police station under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for murder.
SP (City) Ravi Shanker Prasad said four police teams were immediately deployed to track down the suspect.
“Acting on a tip-off that the accused was attempting to evade arrest near Mainpuri Road, a police team laid a cordon in the area. When officers tried to stop and question him, he opened fire on the police. Police returned fire and the accused sustained a gunshot injury to his leg before being arrested. He was shifted to the district hospital for treatment. Investigation in the murder case is continuing,” he said.
