NEW DELHI: A five-year-old boy was allegedly kidnapped, hit with bricks and then stabbed to death in Narela on Tuesday, hours after he went missing from outside his home. The accused, who worked as a driver for the boy’s transporter father, planned the murder to take revenge, said police. He is absconding.The Narela Industrial Area police station received a call around 3.30pm about a possible kidnapping. The call was transferred to Narela police for immediate follow-up. Family members and neighbours also kept searching for him.

“The boy was found unconscious in a room rented by Neetu, one of his father’s drivers who stayed nearby. Initial investigation indicates that the boy was killed using bricks and a knife,” a senior officer said. Police took the child to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.The complainant, a transport businessman, told police that he owned seven to eight Champion vehicles and employed several drivers. “He recounted an altercation between two of his drivers, Neetu and Wasim, the previous evening. Both were reportedly intoxicated when the fight broke out and Neetu allegedly assaulted Wasim,” the officer said. “When Wasim told the businessman about the incident, he reprimanded Neetu, slapping him several times and scolding him for his behaviour,” he added. An angry Neetu allegedly lured the boy away when he was playing outside his house, took the child to his room and murdered him, police sources said. A murder case has been registered at the Narela police station and multiple police teams are searching for Neetu. Investigators are also examining the crime scene, collecting forensic evidence, checking CCTV footage and speaking to neighbours and family members to piece together the sequence of events leading to the boy’s death.