Security guard kills 8-yr-old boy for bullying, beating up his daughters; arrested in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: A 36-year-old man has been arrested for killing an eight-year-old boy and disposing of the body near a lake in southeastern Bengaluru.

The suspect, Chandeswar Matur, was reportedly angry with the boy, Ramananda, for frequently bullying and beating up his two young daughters. Despite repeated warnings, the boy did not stop, police investigations revealed.

The police said that Matur, a security guard at an apartment complex, took Ramananda to the Rayasandra lakebed on Tuesday night and smothered him with his bare hands. He later disposed of the body in a sludge-filled area and returned home.

When Ramananda went missing, his family filed a police complaint on Wednesday.

After reviewing two hours of CCTV footage from the Rayasandra area, the police found that the boy was last seen going with Matur.

Though the police quickly picked up Matur for questioning, it took considerable time to interrogate him as he spoke only a regional language from Bihar. Investigators had to seek the help of his neighbours to understand him.

Matur reportedly confessed to smothering Ramananda and led officers to the crime scene. Following a four-hour-long operation, the police recovered the child’s body from a damp, sludge-covered spot near the lakebed. The body was fully concealed in the sludge and was difficult to locate, the police said.

Sara Fathiema, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast), said that Matur and the boy’s family hailed from the same district in Bihar. Like Matur, the boy’s father works as a security guard, and like Matur’s wife, the boy’s mother is employed as a cook.

“They are all neighbours living next door and working in the same apartment complex,” Fathiema told DH.

Another police officer noted that Matur and Ramananda’s family shared a close relationship, with the boy and Matur’s two daughters often playing together.

An officer involved in the investigation said the boy’s body did not bear external injuries, and the exact cause of death would be confirmed by the post-mortem report.

The Parappana Agrahara police, under whose jurisdiction the murder took place, have registered a case of murder and taken Matur into custody for further questioning. The police are also investigating how he managed to convince the boy to accompany him.