India

Boy Forced to Send False Messages About Missing Parents by Alleged Killer

By TNN

For five days after his parents went missing, a 10‑year‑old boy told relatives and family friends that his parents were away on a pilgrimage and later on a three‑month tour of North India. Police say the boy was instructed to do this by the alleged killer, Indushekhar, who dictated what he should say and made him record voice messages on his parents’ mobile phones and others. According to the boy’s statement, his father disappeared on a Saturday morning and his mother was not found by afternoon. Indushekhar came to pick him up that evening, claiming they would go on a pilgrimage. The child trusted Indushekhar because he was a familiar person with ties to the family. Indushekhar did not allow the boy to speak directly to relatives; instead, he handed him phones and had him record messages. Initially, the boy was told to say his parents were at a temple and had handed their phones to people there. “He told me to say they were going on a North India tour for three more months and no one should bother them,” the boy recalled. The child also remembered a foul smell inside Indushekhar’s car during that period. He noticed two or three heavy gunny bags in the vehicle and asked about the stench. Indushekhar allegedly dismissed his questions, saying there were waste materials in the back. When the boy tried to look inside the bags, Indushekhar scolded him and warned him against going near them. Later, Indushekhar drove toward Nandi Hills and threw the sacks away.