Pune: Police Prevent Cremation in Time, Uncover Murder of Nine-Year-Old Boy by Father for Not Studying

Dead body
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Baramati, 17th January 2025: A tragic incident unfolded in Hol village near Baramati, where a 40-year-old man allegedly killed his nine-year-old son during a heated argument over studies. The father reportedly banged the boy’s head against a wall and throttled him. Police intervened just before the body was cremated, preventing an attempt to destroy evidence.

The father, employed as a peon with the Hol gram panchayat, has been arrested along with his 38-year-old brother. Authorities have also filed charges against the boy’s 65-year-old grandmother, who is yet to be taken into custody.

Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Kale of the Wadgaon Nimbalkar Police Station, Pune rural police, said, “Preliminary findings from the post-mortem revealed asphyxia as the cause of death. During questioning, the father admitted to the act, saying he lost his temper after an argument with his son over studies. The boy’s grandmother was present during the incident.”

According to police, the child lived with his father, elder brother, and grandmother after his parents separated four years ago. On Tuesday afternoon, the father scolded the boy for not studying, which escalated into an argument. Enraged, the father allegedly slammed the boy’s head against the wall and strangled him.

Initially, the father took the boy to a private hospital in Wadgaon Nimbalkar, claiming he had collapsed. The hospital referred him to another private facility in Nira, where doctors declared the boy dead and advised a post-mortem at a government hospital. Instead of following this advice, the father returned home, telling neighbors that the child had fallen after feeling dizzy.

“The father, uncle, and grandmother began preparations for the last rites, maintaining the story of a fall,” Kale explained. “However, some villagers grew suspicious and alerted the police. Our team reached the crematorium just in time to stop the cremation and insisted on a post-mortem.”

The autopsy conducted on Wednesday confirmed that the boy was killed by strangulation. “After the last rites, we detained the father for questioning. He eventually confessed to assaulting and killing his son. The uncle and grandmother were complicit in attempting to cover up the crime,” Kale added.

The father, uncle, and grandmother have been charged under sections 103 (murder), 238 (destruction of evidence), and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. “We arrested the father and uncle on Wednesday night and are in the process of taking the grandmother into custody,” Kale said.