In a case that has shocked the region, a man allegedly killed his six-year-old son and dumped the body in a river, driven by suspicion over the child’s paternity in Maharashtra, police said.
The crime came to light nearly 20 days after the murder, when investigators cracked what initially appeared to be a blind case.
The body of the child was found on March 18 along the banks of the Krishna River in Vadoli Bhikeshwar area of Karad taluka. The identity was unknown at the time, and the circumstances surrounding the death raised suspicion.
After sustained investigation, technical analysis and coordination between police teams in Maharashtra and Karnataka, the victim was identified as Siddharth Mallikarjun Aarekari, a resident of Nagathane village in Vijayapura district of Karnataka.
Police said the accused, the child’s father, Mallikarjun Aarekari, has been arrested.
According to investigators, the crime was premeditated. On March 16, the accused allegedly told his wife he was taking their son for school admission. Instead, he travelled from Vijayapura to Karad and reached a secluded stretch near the Krishna River.
There, police said, he threw the child into the river, killing him. Investigators described the act as cold-blooded. Before the incident, the father reportedly dressed the child in new clothes. After the murder, he returned home as if nothing had happened.
The motive, police said, stemmed from doubts about the child’s parentage, allegedly triggered by remarks from acquaintances questioning whether the boy resembled him. The suspicion led to prolonged marital discord over the past year and a half, ultimately culminating in the killing.
The case took a decisive turn on April 1, the child’s birthday, when his mother, Bhagyashree, tried repeatedly to contact her son but failed. Growing suspicious, she approached the police and filed a missing complaint.
Following the complaint, Karnataka police intensified the probe. During questioning, inconsistencies in the father’s account emerged. Under sustained interrogation, the accused eventually confessed to the crime, police said.
Deputy Superintendent of Police T.S. Sulpi of Vijayapura Rural said the accused was taken into custody and the crime was reconstructed at the scene. “The investigation revealed that the murder was pre-planned. The accused confessed during questioning,” he said.
– Ends
with inputs from Sakalen Mansur Mulani
