DADU: Dadu police on Tuesday claimed to have solved the mystery surrounding the disappearance of a four-year-old boy on Aug 9 after his mutilated body was found in a graveyard about 12 kilometres from Kakar town a few days back.

Dadu SSP Tariq Razak Dharejo told a press conference in the CIA police station on Tuesday that soon after receiving a complaint about the disappearance of the boy, Yousuf Babar, lodged by his father, Nawaz Babar.

He said that during the investigation, a suspect, Sarfaraz Babar, a nephew of Nawaz Babar, was arrested and after several days of intense interrogation, he confessed to have kidnapped the boy.

The SSP said that on the suspect’s information, the victim’s clothes as well as remains were recovered.

Sarfaraz Babar was produced before the media at the police station. He told the journalists that he kidnapped the four-year-old under a plan to demand a ransom of Rs500,000 so that he could pay off the money borrowed from someone.

He said he went to his uncle’s house in Wadhan Shah Mohallah of Dadu town and kidnapped the boy. After sensing danger of being arrested, he added, he took the boy to the Inayat Shah graveyard on his motorcycle and strangled him.

The SSP said that when police reached the place specified by the suspects, they found only remains of the body as it had been mauled by animals.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2014