Kota police arrest man for killing toddler left in his care

Kota: Cracking a one-month-old murder case, which was initially passed off as an accidental death, Kota police have arrested a man for strangulating a toddler to death. The accused confessed to the crime during interrogation on Friday night. Subsequently, police exhumed the body of the two-and-a-half-year-old boy and conducted an on-the-spot autopsy at the Muktidham cremation ground on Saturday.The parents of the deceased boy filed a murder case against Rahul Pareek (26), who was known to them. Pareek operates a shop, whereas the boy’s father is employed as a daily wage worker at a different shop in the city.“Rahul Pareek, a 26-year-old resident of Borekheda area in the city, has been arrested for the murder of boy Ansh Mehra,” said DSP Hariram Soni of the SC/ST cell, the investigating officer in the case.The mother of the deceased boy, Khushbu, resides in the Chhawni area under Vigyan Nagar police station limits. According to police, she had been in contact with Pareek for the past six months. Whenever Khushbu needed to go out for personal errands, she would leave the boy in the care of Pareek on her way.On April 15, when Khushbu left her home, she handed over the boy to Pareek to take care of him for half an hour while she was away.“This time, Pareek, who suspected Khushbu of having a relationship with someone else, allegedly thrashed the boy and strangulated him to death,” said a police officer. To conceal the crime, Pareek brought the boy to JK Lon hospital. There, he called Khushbu and falsely told her that Ansh had been in an accident. Upon Khubshu and her husband;s arrival at the hospital and the boy being examined by the doctor, the toddler was pronounced dead on arrival.The parents trusted Pareek’s words and brought the body home in the evening without getting a postmortem conducted. They then performed the last rites by burying the body in the nearby Muktidham cremation ground the following day on April 16. None of the family members had any suspicions of foul play in the boy’s death.About a week ago this month, Pareek began sending video clips and photos of his crime to Khushbu’s mobile. As a result, the mother discovered the truth about her son’s death. “After remaining silent for a few days, she reached Vigyan Nagar police station Friday evening, accompanied by her husband, and lodged a case of murder against Pareek,” said DSP Soni.“An autopsy conducted by a medical board on the exhumed body found skull fractures and blood clotting in the lungs, suggesting severe beating and strangulation,” the police officer said.During police interrogation it was uncovered that the accused frequently abused and mistreated the toddler whenever the child’s mother left him in his care. This behaviour was attributed to Pareek’s suspicion that Khubshu was involved with someone else. The officer chose not to provide any details regarding the relationship between Pareek and Khushbu.