6-year-old's death in Thrissur: Police say neighbour drowned boy for resisting sexual assault

Thrissur: The six-year-old boy who was found dead in a pond near his residence in Kuzhur on Friday was murdered by his 20-year-old neighbour for resisting a sexual assault attempt, police said.

The victim, Abel, son of Ajeesh and Neethu from Kuzhur, went missing around 6 p.m. on Thursday. His body was recovered from a pond near his house at around 9 p.m. following a joint search operation by locals, police, and fire and rescue personnel.

According to Rural SP B. Krishnakumar, the youth attempted to sexually assault the child. When the boy resisted and threatened to tell his mother, the accused allegedly drowned him in the pond.

CCTV footage also surfaced, showing the boy and the young man. It also indicated that the child had reached a field near the house. Based on this footage, local residents, the police, and the fire department collaborated in a search. Furthermore, the ward member alleged that the accused was with them during the search operation. Initially, he told the police that he had seen the child fall into the pond. However, due to suspicions about his actions, the police questioned him further, and he eventually confessed to drowning the child to death.