Boy beaten to death for pool usage without paying in UP

A 10-year-old boy, who went to take a bath in a swimming pool, was beaten to death after he failed to pay money to the pool owner in Munda Pandey area of UP’s Moradabad. Police recovered his body from a cane field on Thursday. On investigation, police figured out what had happened and registered an FIR against the swimming pool owner and his son under sections 302 (murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) of IPC.
The class 5 boy was one of three children of Seema Devi. Seema’s husband died in a road accident in 2022 and she works as a labourer. He had gone missing on Wednesday and a police complaint had been lodged. On Thursday, the boy was found dead with injuries in his neck and his mouth was filled with mud. SSP Moradabad Satpal Singh and DIG Moradabad Muniraj G rushed to the spot.
Police said there is a small swimming pool without any major facilities in the village where the owner charges Rs 10 from children for taking a bath for up to one hour. The pool will be closed as it was running without permission. SSP Satpal Singh told TOI, “A FIR was lodged against swimming pool owner Ram Kumar and his son Veerpal. Both are absconding since the incident. Investigation revealed that a few children did not pay money after bathing and a dispute ensued. The victim was beaten and then strangled to death. Further action will be taken after the autopsy.”