By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Sep 17: A 13-year-old boy was detained by the East Khasi Hills Police in connection with the “mysterious” death of a four-year-old girl from Nongrah Nonglumbrei. The minor boy was a neighbour of the victim and he frequently visited her house.
East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem told reporters on Wednesday that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) had zeroed in on the boy after three days of investigation, during which witnesses were examined and evidence collected.
During interrogation by the police, the boy confessed that the girl drowned. He also admitted to taking her over a wall and through a beaten path to a nearby construction site.
Syiem said the boy claimed that while washing mud off his feet in a water-filled cavity near a retaining wall, he slipped and accidentally, pulled the girl along and she drowned in the process.
The SP said the post-mortem report confirmed death by drowning and ruled out sexual assault, robbery, or ante mortem injury.
Syiem said the boy did not inform anyone about the incident and misled others by cooking up a story about masked men in a black Scorpio. He even joined others in the search for the child.
The SP stressed that the SIT will continue its probe to verify the boy’s claim. “This is not the end. We will continue the investigation until we unearth the truth. The SIT still has 90 days to complete its probe,” Syiem said.
The body of the girl, reported missing since Sunday morning, was found about 100 metres from her home later, lying face down in stagnant rainwater on the ground floor of an under-construction building, with a stone placed on her back. The family suspects that she may have been killed elsewhere and dumped at the site.
Explaining why the spot was not thoroughly checked earlier, the SP said the area was covered with cement sediments, making it difficult to detect the body.
“You could not make out unless you went very close. A labourer eventually discovered the body,” Syiem said, adding that this suggests the child possibly died at the site itself.
He further stated that although it would have been natural for the boy to inform others if the incident was truly accidental, he chose not to. According to Syiem, this prompted the police to apprehend him and produce him before the Juvenile Justice Board for further investigation.
The SP added that while the boy claimed the incident of drowning was accidental and that he panicked, the matter requires deeper investigation.
Asked about the boy’s mental state, Syiem described him as “street smart” but noted that he has not progressed well educationally. He said the Child Welfare Committee will now examine his background to determine if there are any dysfunctionalities.
Regarding motive, the SP said the boy was familiar with the victim’s siblings, adding that he claimed he had taken her for a stroll but the investigators will seek to corroborate this.
Syiem confirmed that people living near the construction site are being examined, but no one reported hearing or seeing anything. “There is no ocular witness. Nobody even saw them together,” he said. A CCTV camera installed in the area was not functional, he further stated.
Replying to a query, he said the cavity where the children allegedly slipped measured around two feet, and was filled with water on the day of the incident due to rain. By the following day, the water had receded.
Syiem clarified that the boy has no prior criminal record and no police cases against him. “He’s just 13 years old. Nonetheless, the SIT will probe further to find out if there was any motive or if it was purely accidental,” he said.
On the boy’s false narrative about masked men in a black Scorpio, Syiem said it was a panic reaction when he saw the community’s anger. “It was just a distraction he created without any basis,” the SP added.
The boy has been sent to a juvenile home and placed under observation.