In a shocking incident at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) in Mumbai`s Kurla, a body of a seven-year-old boy was found stuffed inside a dustbin in the toilet of Kushinagar Express train, police said.

Police have identified his cousin, 26-year-old Vikas Saha, a native of Bihar, as an alleged prime suspect in the crime. He is currently absconding, and a manhunt has been launched to trace him.

According to the police, Vikas kidnapped the minor boy from Amroli in Surat, Gujarat, on Friday and brought him to Mumbai. He allegedly strangled the boy inside the bathroom of AC coach B2 before fleeing, leaving the child’s body stuffed upside down in the dustbin with his legs hanging outside. Blood spatters were also found at the spot.

The gruesome discovery was made around 1 am when sanitation workers began cleaning the train after it arrived at platform number 4. They immediately raised an alarm, after which the Railway Protection Force (RPF), Government Railway Police (GRP), and senior railway officials rushed to the coach. The body was later shifted to Rajawadi Hospital for post-mortem.

The deceased boy. Pic/Special Arrangement by Aishwarya Iyer

A senior officer confirmed that during the course of the investigation, police found a link between this case and a kidnapping complaint registered a day earlier. On Friday, a woman had lodged a case at Amroli Police Station in Surat, alleging that her cousin Vikas had abducted her son. Amroli Police had been tracking his mobile phone location, but before they could reach him, he had killed the child, officials revealed.

Police sources said the victim’s father works abroad, while Vikas had moved from Bihar to Surat only two weeks ago in search of work. It is suspected that personal tensions within the family may have played a role. However, a clear motive is yet to be established.

Police also revealed that the deceased boy was close to his cousin, which is why he accompanied him willingly from Surat. Vikas reportedly alighted at Dadar station with the child and later reached LTT by local train. Spotting the Kushinagar Express standing at the platform, he entered the AC coach and committed the murder.

Kurla GRP has registered a case and is coordinating with Surat Police. Teams have been deployed to trace the absconding accused.

By Saturday afternoon, police managed to inform the parents of the child. “The family has reached Rajawadi Hospital where the body was sent for post-mortem,” the police official added.

This article first appeared on Mid Day