UP man arrested for killing 7-year-old cousin to frame girlfriend's kin

• Two days after the mutilated body of a missing seven-year-old boy was found in a sugarcane field in UP's Shahjahanpur district, police arrested a 23-year-old man, the victim's cousin
• The man murdered the boy to frame his girlfriend's relatives as they were against the relationship with distant cousin’s assistance
• Both the accused have been sent to police custody

Two days after the mutilated body of a missing seven-year-old boy was found in a sugarcane field in a village in Kaant area of UP's Shahjahanpur district, Uttar Pradesh police on Wednesday arrested a 23-year-old man, the victim's cousin.

During investigation, the police found that the accused, who lives in the same house, murdered the boy to frame his girlfriend's relatives as they were against the relationship. The 23-year-old accused has not finished school and works with his father on their farm. He falsely stated to the police that his girlfriend's relatives called him and threatened to kill his cousin.

On Sunday morning, farmer Nanhe Singh, a resident of Meerveshpur village, filed a complaint at the Kaant police station that his son Uttam Singh had gone missing after going out to play on Saturday. Later in the evening, the boy's family and neighbors began searching for Uttam and found his body in Nanhe's cane field.

SSP S Anand said, "The victim was killed by his cousin Prashant Singh with the support of his distant cousin Pankaj Singh (25). Prashant had an affair with a girl who lived with his uncle in the same village for almost three years." After learning about their affair, the girl's family filed a police complaint against him. The matter was later settled by compromise.'

"Later, fearing that the girl might file a false rape FIR against him due to family pressure, Prashant decided to kill his cousin to frame the girl's uncle," the SSP added.

Both the accused have been sent to police custody, police said.