Two-year-old found dead in toilet: family suspects occult practices

A day after a two-year-old boy was found murdered in a toilet in the slums of central Delhi’s Anand Parbat, his family noted injuries on his belly, mouth, and forehead, suspecting the murder might be linked to occult practices. However, police have reported no breakthrough in the case but indicated they were working on leads.

The boy was discovered dead in an abandoned toilet in Anand Parbat on Sunday morning after going missing on Saturday evening.

The boy’s 28-year-old father showed videos of the body, pointing out two injuries on the right side of the stomach and injuries in the private area. “He was bleeding from around his mouth, and there was a red mark in the middle of his forehead, leading us to believe it could be related to occult practices,” he said.

The victim’s paternal aunt recounted that around 7.30pm, she was making chapatis outside their residence and gave one to the boy. “He was eating. I started lighting the stove and bent down to see the fire. When I stood up, he was gone. I informed the family, and we searched all the houses,” she said.

The family alleged they visited Anand Parbat police station late at night to file a missing report but were told to search the neighbourhood first. “No police officer came all night. We searched for him but couldn’t find him. Around 8am, someone saw the feet of a small child in the public toilet. It was my son. Police arrived after we found him,” the father said.

Deputy commissioner of police (central) Harsha Vardhan denied these allegations, and said, “The family visited the police station around 1am, and prompt action was taken.”

Locals expressed concerns about child safety in the slums, citing frequent disappearances linked to drug addicts in the area. “The area is filled with drug addicts. They use children to bring their drugs and syringes,” said Kajal, a resident of the slums. Locals also mentioned that the CCTV cameras in the area were not functional.