The Meghwadi police arrested a 28-year-old man and his wife for allegedly killing their one-and-a-half-year-old son and disposing of the body in an open drain in Goregaon. The police said that the accused had tried to mislead them by claiming that their son had been kidnapped. However, during the course of the investigation, it came to light that they had beaten the toddler to death.
According to police officials, the two arrested have been identified as Rajesh Rana (28) and Rinki Rana (23). They lived with their son Aman in Jogeshwari East.
Rajesh reported the matter to Meghwadi police late on May 21, alleging that his son had been kidnapped by two men. “He claimed that the two men forced the toddler to inhale something, causing him to fall unconscious, and then escaped in an auto rickshaw,” said an officer.
The police initiated a probe, scrutinising CCTV footage. As the investigation progressed, the police realised that Rana was misleading them. “We then took him into custody and interrogated him. During questioning, he alleged that while taking his son to play, his son fell and sustained a head injury, resulting in his death,” said an officer. “Rana further told us that he got scared and disposed of the body in a nullah at Goregaon.”
The police retrieved the body and conducted a post-mortem on the child. Doctors informed the police that the toddler had died due to multiple injuries to his body.
“Rana was questioned again, after which he revealed that Aman(the son) was born from Rinki’s first marriage. The accused had disdain for the boy as such and the couple constantly fought over the child,” added an investigator.
The Meghwadi police later took Rinki into custody, who corroborated Rana’s story. Rana and Rinki were arrested under relevant sections for murder, destruction of evidence, and conspiracy.