The accused, Anuj, had allegedly handcuffed the victim, Kunal Singh, and hid him in the trunk of his bed. But after he found the boy dead this morning, Anuj put the body in a bag and dumped it in a pond behind his house in Subhash Nagar of Hapur area in Ghaziabad, the police said.

The victim’s father, Gyanendra Singh, has told the police that Anuj had abducted Kunal sometime on Sunday after he refused to give him a loan some time back. Singh said he knew Anuj did not have the ability to repay the loan.

“Anuj had asked for the money almost a month ago, but I refused since I knew he won’t pay back,” Singh said. “Yesterday, he was sitting with me, and played with Kunal for a long time before he went missing.”

After the family informed police, the accused visited Singh’s house late last night to inquire about the boy. “He came past midnight to ask about Kunal, and that made me suspicious,” Singh said.

According to the family, the child was found in the pond early Monday morning. “He (Anuj) put him in a bag; he must have been scared of being caught,” Singh said.