A 13-year-old schoolboy abducted on Thursday evening was found dead in an abandoned house at Paranpur village under Pukhuria police station a few hours later the same night.

Family members of Anik Das, a Class VIII student, filed a complaint with police in the case.

Police investigating the case have so far detained four persons of a family in Paranpur.

The police suspect that Anik had been strangled with an electric wire as he had come to know “unpleasant information” about the family of one of his classmates.

The “unpleasant information” relates to the accused family selling cannabis.

Anik’s family had apparently ticked off the family for the illegal trade that had angered them.

So far, two of Anik’s classmates are under the scanner.

Ashis Kumar Das, Anik’s father, said his son was invited for a badminton match on Thursday afternoon and did not return home.

“When my wife and other family members started searching for him, they found a letter on our doorstep that said my son was abducted. Around 9.30pm, we found his body in an abandoned house. An electric wire was dangling from his neck,” he said.

Anik’s family alleged that family members of one of his classmates was behind the crime.

“That family was involved in illegal sale of cannabis and we had warned them. We believe that this might have enraged them and kill the boy,” said a relative.

Shashthi Das, the head of Paranpur panchayat, agreed with the accusations but said the police should find out the truth.

Police officers said they had detained four members of the family, including two women.

“We are on the verge of cracking the case. The details cannot be disclosed right now in the interest of the probe. But things are likely to be clear in next 24 hours,” said Goutam Choudhury, officer-in-charge of Pukhuria police station.

Arrest

A cousin of Gazole MLA Dipali Biswas was arrested by police over an old case of misappropriation of funds on Friday.

Police sources identified the accused as Mrityunjoy Goldar.

Last month, Biswas left Trinamul for BJP. In 2016, she was elected on a CPM ticket but joined Trinamul.