Daijiworld Media Network - Jhansi

Jhansi, Oct 10: The body of an 11-year-old Class 5 student who had been missing for around 26 hours was found without clothes in a pond near a quarry in the Bhainsasur area of Jhansi on Friday night, prompting police to investigate the circumstances surrounding his death.

The body was spotted around 11 pm, approximately 3 km from the boy’s home in the Premnagar area. His family members identified him at the spot, where police personnel were present.

Jhansi Circle Officer (Sadar) Simran Singh said the family had reported the boy missing on Thursday night, following which police registered a case and deployed teams to trace him.

“On Friday night, we received information that a child’s body was found in a pond near a quarry in the Bhainsasur area. Police reached the spot and called in the forensic team to collect evidence,” she said.

The cause and circumstances of the child’s death have not yet been established. Police said the postmortem examination would help determine the cause of death.

According to the family, the boy had gone out to play around 6 pm on Thursday after having tea at home but did not return. His family members searched for him as night fell and approached the police later that night.

The search continued on Friday, with police and family members looking for the missing child. There was no breakthrough until a neighbour informed the family about the body in the pond late Friday night.

The boy’s grandfather reportedly suspected foul play, saying the child would not have travelled so far from home alone. He urged the police to investigate the circumstances thoroughly.

Investigators are examining evidence collected at the scene, while the postmortem findings are expected to provide important leads in determining how the child died.