Gorakhpur: A 10-year-old boy, who went missing while playing outside his house in Gorakhpur’s Khajni town, was allegedly kidnapped and murdered by a neighbour, police said on Tuesday.The child’s body was recovered from the basement of the accused’s house, barely 20 metres from the deceased’s house.Deceased Vaibhav Verma, a Class IV student and grandson of a prominent jeweller, Laxmi Narayan Verma, had gone missing on Monday afternoon after returning from school. According to police, he reached home around 1.30pm, changed his school uniform and left on his bicycle to play in the neighbourhood.When he did not return, family members began searching for him. His bicycle was later found abandoned near the house, while one of his slippers was recovered from a nearby field, prompting fears of abduction. Later, his family lodged a complaint with police, following which search operations were launched.SSP Dr Kaustubh formed five teams to trace the child. Police, along with forensic experts and a dog squad, scanned thearea and examined CCTV footage. During the investigation, a CCTV clip allegedly showed Vaibhav walking with a neighbour, identified as Sarvesh Bhatt, a computer teacher. Police detained Bhatt for questioning, during which he confessed to kidnapping and killing the child.Based on his confession, police recovered Vaibhav’s body from the basement of Bhatt’s two-storey house. Investigators said the accused had concealed the body in a sack among stored grain bags to avoid suspicion and to dispose of it later. The recovery of the body triggered outrage in the locality. Family members and locals staged protests, demanding stringent punishment for the accused. SP South Dinesh Kumar Puri assured the family that stringent action would be taken against those involved in the crime. Police have taken the accused into custody and are continuing the investigation to establish the motive behind the murder.Vaibhav’s mother, Shweta Verma, had died after a prolonged illness about six weeks ago. Police have sent the body for postmortem examination and are investigating the case from all aspects.
