JASHPUR, Nov 9: A 27-year-old man was arrested in Chhattisgarh’s Jashpur district for allegedly killing his cousin’s four-year-old son and removing his kidneys, lungs and eyes in an alleged attempt to sell them, police said on Sunday.

The child’s body was found wrapped in a blanket and quilt, stuffed in a sack and partially buried in a water-filled pit near a maize field in Lodhenapath Mahua village, police said. The accused was identified as Basudev alias Tangnu.

At a glance

  • The child had been missing since November 5.
  • His father lodged a complaint at Sanna police station on November 7.
  • Police recovered a plastic bucket containing the removed body parts, along with alleged murder weapons and other materials.
  • Further investigation was under way.

What happened

Jashpur Senior Superintendent of Police Lal Umed Singh said the victim’s father, Ramjeet Ram, 36, had moved to Sanna village with his family about a year ago in search of work. The family lived in a hut near the Aamatchua river dam.

Basudev, a resident of nearby Chalni Gorrapath village, was Ramjeet’s maternal cousin and frequently visited the family, Singh said.

Police alleged that Basudev lured the child away on November 5 and took him to different places. He bought liquor and chicken, and allegedly made the boy consume alcohol.

After the child became intoxicated and fell asleep, Basudev allegedly slit his throat with a knife. He then allegedly cut open the body and removed the kidneys, lungs and eyes, which he kept in a plastic bucket.

The accused allegedly wrapped the body in a blanket and quilt, placed it in a sack and dumped it in the water-filled pit before covering it with soil. Ramjeet found the body on Saturday while searching for his son with family members, Singh said.

Who said what

Singh said Basudev was detained during the investigation and allegedly admitted to the crime during questioning. The accused allegedly told investigators that he was dissatisfied with his earnings as a daily-wage worker and wanted to make more money.

Police said Basudev had regularly searched social media for ways to earn quick money. They alleged that he subsequently developed a plan to extract and sell the body parts of young children.

According to Singh, Basudev intended to sell the body parts online. Police have not said whether he had identified any buyer or contacted anyone in connection with the alleged plan.

Acting on the accused’s disclosure, police recovered the weapons allegedly used in the crime, the plastic bucket and other related materials from a pit in the area, Singh said.

Background

Ramjeet approached Sanna police station on November 7, two days after his son went missing. Police traced the case to Basudev after the body was recovered and questioned him.

The child’s body was found in Lodhenapath Mahua village in Jashpur district. Police said the accused had allegedly tried to conceal it in a pit near the field after the killing.

No other arrests have been announced in the case. Police were examining the alleged murder, the recovery of the body parts and the claim that they were to be sold.

Why it matters for Assam and the Northeast

Police have not reported any link between the case and Assam or the Northeast. The alleged offence took place in Chhattisgarh, and the investigation is being conducted by Jashpur police.

What next

Police said they would continue the investigation and examine the evidence recovered during the probe. Further action will depend on the findings of the investigation.