Venkatesh B

BENGALURU: A 14-year-old boy allegedly smothered a two-year-old toddler to death for setting free pigeons near Soladevanahalli , off Tumakuru Road, northwest Bengaluru, on Wednesday, according to police. The class 8 student has reportedly confessed to the crime.

He was produced in court on Thursday and sent to a correction centre. The boys were neighbours, a police officer said. According to cops, the accused boy purchased three pigeons paying Rs 100 each, and kept the birds in a cage about a week ago. The toddler allegedly opened the cage, letting out the pigeons, which led to the tragedy.

A two-year-old toddler was smothered to death allegedly by his 14-year-old neighbour after the child set free the teen’s pigeons near Soladevanahalli, off Tumakuru Road, northwest Bengaluru, on Wednesday.

The Class 8 student, who confessed to the crime, was produced in court on Thursday and sent to a correction centre, Soladevanahalli police said.

The toddler, Venkatesh B, was the third son of Basavaraj and Venkamma, who are from Raichur and run a pushcart eatery on Soladevanahalli Main Road . The family lives in Maruthi Layout. The accused boy, elder son of a tea vendor and a domestic help, lived next door. Basavaraj’s two elder sons are five and seven years old.

“The two families were not on talking terms and fought frequently. In February first week, the tea vendor had fought with Basavaraj, saying his sons had misplaced an aluminium vessel kept outside his house to feed their dog. The accused boy was also upset over the issue,” police said.

According to cops, a week ago, the boy purchased three pigeons paying Rs 100 each, and kept them in a cage. Venkatesh and his brothers enjoyed watching the caged birds, police said. “The children fed the birds regularly and the accused would shout at them for doing so,” they added.

Around 10.30am on Wednesday, Venkatesh and his two brothers are believed to have opened the cage, letting out the pigeons, which flew towards an eucalyptus grove .

“The boy returned from school late noon and grew furious on seeing the cage empty. He barged into Venkatesh’s house and sought an explanation from the brothers about the missing birds. The two-year-old innocently narrated what had happened. The teen took Venkatesh and his five-year-old brother into the grove and caught one of the pigeons with great difficulty. While bringing the pigeon back, Venkatesh screamed in delight and the bird promptly flew away. Losing his cool, the boy pushed the toddler to the ground and sat on his face. In no time, the two-year-old suffocated to death,” police said.

The boy thought the toddler might have fallen unconscious and returned home. “Venkatesh’s mother began searching for her son and entered the grove only to find the child lying there. She took him to a private hospital , where doctors declared him brought dead,” police added.

