Kin held for boy murder

Rishra (Hooghly), Sept. 1: A cousin of the 13-year-old boy found murdered yesterday 50km from his Rishra home was arrested today.

Hanumanlal Soni, 25, was arrested after the parents of Manik Roy, a Class VI student who was kidnapped from his Rishra school on Monday and found dead by the roadside in neighbouring North 24-Parganas, lodged a police complaint against him.

Sub-divisional police officer K.P. Barui said Soni had been charged with murder and criminal conspiracy.

He said Soni had stolen about one-and-a-half kilograms of gold from Manik’s father Hiralal’s jewellery shop in Nepal last year. “Soni was dismissed from his job at the shop after the incident. Hiralal forced him to return the gold, following which Soni returned to India. No police complaint had been lodged then,” Barui said.

The police said Hiralal had also refused to allow Soni, a small-time share broker, to set up an office at his home. Manik’s mother had barred Soni from entering their Rishra home, Barui said.

A mob last night set ablaze Soni’s office on the ground floor of his Rishra residence.


The Telegraph