Delhi–Mumbai expressway to be dug up? After 6 years, Rajasthan police zero in on sites to recover missing boy’s remains

JAIPUR: Dausa police may dig up a portion of the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway passing through Rajasthan to facilitate the search for the body of a missing four-year-old, after the accused identified the spot where the child is likely to have been buried.

Police linked the search to a child who went missing 6 years ago from Bandikui in Dausa district. Dausa SP Sagar Rana said a special machine detected suspicious remains at three points beneath the expressway.


"We found some suspicious remains at some points and sought permission for digging," he said.

Investigators deployed a Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) machine at the site. During scanning Friday, officials identified three locations where the device indicated something resembling remains.

Police said the missing person case turned into a murder investigation after a neighbour allegedly confessed in Aug 2020 to killing the boy.

The disclosure followed renewed scrutiny and court-monitored progress in the case. Police arrested the accused last week and are trying to recover the mortal remains.

"As we dug deeper into the missing boy's case, we received inputs suggesting that the neighbour had a dispute with the boy's family. We detained him for questioning," a senior police officer said.

Police said investigators believe the child was allegedly abducted and later murdered, and that the body was buried in fields where the expressway now stands, complicating excavation efforts.

They also said they arrested the accused, but his identity has been withheld until the remains of the boy are recovered. "We worked along with the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) for excavation," said an official, adding that the images obtained from GPR are such that identification of the remains may be possible. Sources said the main objective of the police is to recover the remains of the child and strengthen the evidence.