The nine-year-old son of a Trinamul panchayat member here, allegedly abducted for ransom on August 9, was found murdered near his village on Wednesday.

Two men, one of whom is the victim’s cousin, were arrested for the kidnap and murder of the boy, police said. Police suspect he was strangled.

According to the police, Umar Faruque, 9, the son of panchayat member in Malda’s Mothabari block Hafizul Islam, was abducted while he was playing in front of his house in Amlitala village.

Hafizul and other family members combed the area for Umar but could not trace the boy, a Class IV student. The same night, they received an anonymous ransom call asking Hafizul to pay Rs 50 lakh, sources said. Hafizul, a labour contractor, had made some money in the past few years.

On August 10, the family lodged a complaint with the police, which formed a special investigation team, but their search for the boy did not succeed. On Wednesday, some residents spotted the boy’s body near a bush in Chak-Pratappur village, some 3km from his home, and informed Hafizul’s family and the police.

Police probe pointed to Rashidul Sheikh, Umar’s cousin, and Rashidul’s friend Ramzan Sheikh.

Malda SP Alok Rajoria confirmed the arrests and said: “The boy has been murdered for money. We are trying to get more information.”

Hundreds came to the boy’s house and demanded exemplary punishment for the accused. Trinamul MLA Sabina Yeasmin consoled the family.

“The duo had planned to extort money from Hafizul. We suspect that when our team started investigating, the duo got nervous and killed the boy.

The boy knew both and the duo feared that they would be identified if they released the boy,” said a police source.