A four-year-old boy who disappeared in Rajasthan in 2020 is now feared to have been buried beneath a stretch of the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway in Dausa district, police said, as investigators resumed excavation at the site following new leads in the long-running case.
Station House Officer (SHO) Zaheer Abbas Meo, while speaking to the media, said that the renewed search was based on information provided by two people- the missing child's uncle and aunt- who were recently detained for questioning.
The child, Prince — also known as Tillu — went missing from the Bandikui area on August 16, 2020, while playing in the courtyard of his home.
Despite an extensive search at the time, no trace of him was found, leaving the family in uncertainty for years.
At the time, police registered a missing person report, but the investigation failed to produce concrete results for several years.
The case gained renewed attention recently after new information emerged during the questioning of suspects.
According to police sources, earlier excavations near the expressway did not locate the remains, prompting the use of specialised technology to narrow down the search area.
Reports indicate that the investigation has shifted from a missing person case to a suspected murder probe.
In a related development, a neighbour was detained after information suggested a dispute with the child’s family, and investigators began searching areas near the expressway where the body was allegedly buried.
Police teams, along with technical experts, are continuing excavation work along the expressway corridor near Unbara village in Bandikui.
The area has changed significantly since 2020 due to construction, making it difficult to identify the exact location described by the suspects.
Officials said the use of radar scanning is expected to speed up the search and reduce unnecessary digging across a large area.
No human remains had been officially recovered at the time of the latest update. Authorities said further action would depend on what is found during the ongoing operation.
For the child’s family, the renewed search brings both hope and anguish after years without closure.
Police investigators say the six-year-old boy was allegedly killed by his own uncle, Anil and aunt Krishna, over a personal dispute, and his body was buried near the highway.
Both have been arrested, and police said they admitted to the crime during questioning. A court has remanded them to police custody until March 1, 2026, as the investigation continues.
Family members said the couple had taken part in the search for the missing child in 2020, which they now believe was an attempt to avoid suspicion.
Prince’s eldest sister, Archana, said she was shattered by the revelations. She recalled that Anil often took her younger brother out on motorcycle rides and said she never imagined he could harm the child.
Prince’s brother, Samar, described him as playful and mischievous, adding that he frequently brought him broken toys to repair.
He also remembered that Anil had accompanied him during the search efforts at the time, making the alleged betrayal even harder to accept.
The boy’s father, Jagmohan Bairwa, rushed back to India from Dubai on February 21, 2026, after learning about the fresh developments in the case.
The investigation faced repeated setbacks, with seven different officers handling the case over the years. As progress stalled, the court instructed authorities to locate the child by any means necessary.
Nearly five years after he went missing, Rajasthan Police finally made a breakthrough in the case.
ALSO READ | NEET Pressure Murder: Lucknow Youth Kills Father, Dismembers Body
The Story Mug is a Guwahati-based Blogzine. Here, we believe in doing stories beyond the normal.
