Kushinagar (UP), March 30 A 12-year-old boy, who had been missing for the past three days, was found dead in bushes along a canal about two kilometers from his house here, police said on Monday.
The body of the boy, identified as Rajveer Yadav, was recovered on Sunday night, they said.
Yadav, who had been living with his maternal grandparents in Gopalpur Virecha village, had left home around 3 pm on March 27 to purchase items from Hanuman Chauraha in Paikauli, but did not return, police said.
Based on a complaint from his maternal uncle Aditya, the police filed a missing person report. Following this, police launched a search operation, but no breakthrough was achieved.
Police said on Sunday night, around 8.30 pm, some locals spotted a body lying in bushes near a canal close to Radhiya Deoria, about two kilometers from the village, which was later identified as that of Rajveer.
Preliminary examination revealed dark marks around the boy's neck, raising suspicion of murder, police said.
Additional Superintendent of Police Siddharth Verma said the exact cause of death will be known after the post-mortem.
Police said Rajveer's father, Pramod Yadav, a resident of Katraul in Ramkola, works in Saudi Arabia, while his mother, Reena, lives with her two sons at her parental home.