Nepalgunj, February 10

Three days after he went missing, a seven-year-old boy was found murdered near his home at Jhandahawa of Kohalpur Municipality-9, Banke today morning.

The body of Aakash, son of Ramshankar Chaudhary was found hidden in a haystack near his home.

Banke Police Chief SP Basant Pant said the body was kept inside a sack and had been hidden in the haystack.

Aakash went missing on the evening of February 7.

Ramshankar had filed the report about his missing son at the police office the next day.

SP Pant said that the body was found soaked in blood hidden inside the haystack. Aakash was the only child of Ramshankar. Ramshankar, who only owns a cottage has been feeding his family as a daily wage earner.

The motive behind the gruesome killing is yet to be ascertained.

The murder of the boy following his abduction has unleashed a state of terror among the locals in Jhandahawa.

The body has been taken to Bheri Zonal Hospital, Nepalgunj for post-mortem.

Meanwhile, police have arrested five persons suspecting their involvement in the incident. Of them, one has admitted to the crime, a police source said.

Police have not made public the names of the arrestees yet.

The arrestees have been kept in the custody of District Police Office. “Investigation is on”, SP Pant said adding “The facts will come out shortly”.