Nashik, December 2: The body of a 9-year-old boy with his right hand and little finger severed was found near the Manmad-Daund railway tracks in Maharashtra's Nashik district, leading to residents of his area protesting seeking capital punishment for those involved, a police official said on Friday.

Lokesh Sunil Sonawane had gone missing on the evening of November 30 while out on a rented bicycle, and a search for him for several hours in his Eklavya Nagar locality was in vain, after which a police complaint was filed, he said. Nashik Shocker: Home Shelter Operator Arrested for Raping 14-Year-Old Girl at Gyandeep Gurukul Aadharshram.

"We found the body of the Class IV student on Thursday morning in the thicket near a filtration plant along the Manmad-Daund railway tracks. The right hand and the little finger had been cut off. There were scratches on the face as well," he said.

The case is being probed by the railway police, in whose jurisdiction the body was found, and Manmad city police, where the missing complaint was filed, he added. Nashik Shocker: 4-Year-Old Girl, Out to Buy Ice Cream, Touches Fridge, Dies of Electric Shock (Watch Video).

Meanwhile, angry citizens held a protest on Thursday night and even stopped traffic on the Indore-Pune highway for some time seeking capital punishment for those involved in the death of the 9-year-old boy.