Two held after skeletons of children dug out

Noida, Uttar Pradesh, Dec 29: Moving close to solving the disappearance of nearly 38 children, found missing from Nithari village in the past one-and-a-half year, police here have dug out skeletal remains of several children from a 'nullah' in the same area after arresting two persons including the 30-year-old accused.

Skeletal remains of eight children have been found from a 'nullah' close to a water tank in Nithari village in Sector 31, said the police adding that search began after the arrest of a suspect Surendra Kohli last night.

''The second person, Mahendra Singh, a businessman in whose house Surendra worked as a servant, was arrested today. A 12 bore licenced gun along with some documents have also been seized from his possession.'' The house has also been sealed.

Surendra, said to be mentally deranged, during interrogation admitted to having raped and killed some of the 'missing' girls of the area and later throwing the bodies in the 'nullah', police added.

''Surendra was arrested after a mobile phone belonging to a girl Deepika alias Payal, who went missing from Nithari village in May this year, was found in his possession. After killing the girl, he had kept her mobile with himself but later lodged a complaint with the police after he lost it.'' After the police traced the mobile, a few days back, and scanned its details, Surendra's name popped up after which he was 'detained' last night on the basis of the complaint report of Deepika's father Mukesh with the police (after his daughter went missing in May), where he had named Surendra and Mahendra as suspects.

Meanwhile, heavy police bandobust has been placed in the area following largescale public protests, which followed soon after the news of the 'recovery' of skeletons spread this morning. People gathered in large numbers outside the house of the accused, shouted slogans against the police for its 'slumber' and inaction all these months and pelted stones, S Mashing the window panes of the car parked inside.

City SSP R K S Rathore said skeletal remains of about eight children have been found so far from the 'nullah and an adjoining 'lane' behind the house where the accused worked.

But sources said the number could be much higher as three sacks full of bones had been taken away from the site.

Superintendent of Police Soumitra Yadav had earlier in the day said that a sack containing clothes and slippers of children was also recovered from the place where the alleged killer resided.

As many as 38 children have been missing in the last one-and-a-half years from the area.

However, police records speak of a mere eight children missing -- six girls and two boys.

UNI