Hyderabad, April 23: A nine-year-old boy with injuries all over his face was found lying in a pool of blood on the first floor of an under construction building at Vinayaknagar in Neredmet here on Friday.
The boy’s parents alleged that the builder held the boy prisoner before attempting to sacrifice him. The boy is said to be critical and battling for life in Gandhi hospital.
According to the Neredmet police, the boy, Vibudhi Raju known as Rajesh, lived in Vinayakanagar and studied in Class I at a private school. On Thursday evening, Rajesh’s father Nagaraju sent him to get a sachet of washing powder from a shop in the locality. When the boy did not return home, Nagaraju and his friends formed groups to search for him. Nagaraju also alerted a police patrol.
Around 7.30 am on Friday, Mallesh, a watchman of the under construction building, went to the first floor and saw the boy lying in a pool of blood and alerted the police.
“Rajesh went to the kirana shop to buy washing powder and didn’t return. In the morning we got a call from the police that he was found lying in a pool of blood. We suspect that the kirana shop-cum-building owner might have attempted to sacrifice him,” said Nagaraju.
“Rajesh suffered bleeding injuries on his teeth, eyes and to his head. Due to profuse bleeding his condition is critical and he is in no condition to reveal any details. We have to wait for the next 72 hours,” said the Neredmet police inspector, Mr K. Venkat Reddy.
The police is also investigating whether the boy was kidnapped by the shop owner for human sacrifice as alleged by the parents. The police, however, has not registered a case of kidnap.
–Agencies