A 10-year-old boy who disappeared while playing near his home in Delhi’s Bawana area was found dead the following day in a forested area near a cemetery, leaving his family and the local community searching for answers.
The boy, identified as Intzar, was reported missing on Sunday after he was last seen playing in a lane close to his home.
According to police, a call was received around 3pm on Monday reporting that a child’s body had been found in a blood-stained condition in the Narela Industrial Area. A police team reached the location and recovered the body.
The child was taken for a post-mortem examination, with the report expected to establish the cause of death and provide further information about what happened.
Crime-scene and forensic teams examined the area and collected evidence as part of the investigation.
A search that ended in tragedy
Intzar’s father, Ayub, said the boy had been playing near the family’s home at around 11:30am on Sunday when he suddenly disappeared.
The family searched the surrounding neighbourhood and contacted people who might have seen him. When their efforts failed to locate him, they reported him missing to the police.
They also circulated the boy’s photograph, including to a person who operated a swing in the area.
On Monday afternoon, the family received devastating news. The swing operator reportedly told them that a child’s body had been found in a nearby forested area after shepherds spotted it.
When the family reached the location, they identified the body as Intzar.
Questions surround the boy’s death
The presence of injury marks on the child’s hands and legs has raised concerns about how he died. His father said the family had no known dispute or enmity with anyone.
He also said Intzar had never previously gone towards the forested area, leaving the family uncertain about how the child ended up there.
Police are examining CCTV footage from the surrounding area and questioning local residents and other people who may have information about the boy’s movements.
Investigators are awaiting the post-mortem findings before determining the precise cause and circumstances of the death.
For the family, the investigation now centers on a crucial unanswered question: how a child who was playing just outside his home ended up dead in a secluded area only a short distance away.
