Bhopal, May 10: A police constable has been arrested for murdering an eight-year-old boy in a fit of rage in Datia town of Madhya Pradesh because the child was hungry and kept pleading for food.

Times of India reported that, the accused, Ravi Sharma, dumped the body in a deserted part of Gwalior, said police, adding that he was identified from the car used to dispose of the body. The victim, Mayank Sen, had lost his mother some years ago and lived in Datia town with his father, who works at a barber shop. Punjab: Months After Youth’s Murder in Ludhiana, Two Arrested

According to Sharma's statement, the hungry boy approached him for food and kept pleading in spite of the cop snubbing him twice. Sharma lost his cool and held the child by the neck, strangling him to death, say police. Goa Shocker: Woman Allegedly Murdered 80-Year-Old Father in Varca; Arrested

The crime took place in Datia on May 4 when a religious 'rath yatra' was being held in town. Several leaders had participated in the event. The child had left his house to see the yatra but didn't return. His father filed a missing person's report at Kotwali police station when he returned from work. The next day, Mayank's body was found in a deserted location in Gwalior's Jhansi Road area, around 70km from Datia.

Gwalior SP Amit Sanghi said, "The body was identified when we came to know that a (missing person) case had been registered at Datia. We also identified the car in which the body was brought and zeroed in on the accused, Ravi Sharma, a constable posted at Police Training School, Tighara. He was arrested and was handed over to Datia police."

Police sources said that the cop eventually admitted to killing the boy during the questioning.

"He did it without any motive but in a fit of rage. During interrogation, he said that he remains irritated and depressed most of the time. On May 4, too, he was irritated when he was deployed for the event in Datia though his original posting is in Gwalior. When the child approached him for food, he pushed him away, but the kid approached him a few times more. In a fit of rage he caught him by the neck and strangled him. Later he took the body to Gwalior and dumped it there to conceal evidence," said police.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 11, 2022 03:39 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).