Team Herald
VASCO: Five days after the mysterious death of the 7-year-old boy from Mangor who had gone missing from the Vasco saptah fair, Vasco police booked a minor balloon vendor in the case.
DySP Sunita Sawant said that the 7-year-old was accompanied to the terrace of the building by a balloon vendor who is also a minor and was asked sexual favours. To escape from the situation the victim tried to climb down the sewerage pipe but lost his balance and fell down leading to his death.
It may be recalled that a seven-year-old boy’s body was found in a semi-nude condition behind Kosambe building in Vasco on Monday morning. During initial investigation Vasco police had ruled out murder.
Speaking to the media, Sawant said that after a thorough interrogation and recording statements of around 120 stall vendors at the Saptah fair, the police narrowed down on the balloon seller, a native of Rajasthan who had come to the Saptah fair along with his family. He initially denied any involvement but repeatedly uttered one statement, “that he is not involved in such dirty things and he has come here to sell balloons,” Sawant said.
She disclosed that for two days, the accused boy was interrogated by three PIs from Verna, Vasco and Dabolim police stations. “The help of some NGOs was also sought to get the truth out of the accused,” she said.
Sawant said after several rounds of interrogation, the accused boy admitted
accompanying the 7-year-old victim to the terrace where both of them played for some time and suddenly the accused asked the victim for some sexual favours which the victim refused.
“The accused boy allegedly tried to restrict the victim boy’s movement when he wanted to escape from the terrace door. Therefore, the victim climbed the parapet wall and tried getting down the sewerage pipeline of the building and while doing so, the orange thread on his waist got entangled and the boy went off balance and fell and died,” said Sawant.
Sawant disclosed that the accused boy was produced before Juvenile Court and was sent to State Protective Home.
The accused minor has been booked under Section 341 for wrongful restraining the movement, Section 377 for unnatural sex, Section 304(A)of IPC which is death due to negligence, Section 8 of POCSO Act.
