KANPUR, Oct. 26 -- A man accused of kidnapping and murdering a five-year-old boy here on Friday night, allegedly to remove the child as an obstacle in his one-sided pursuit of the boy's mother, was arrested after a midnight shootout with police on Friday night.

The accused, Shivam Saxena, a neighbour of the family in the Barra area, allegedly lured the child, Ayush Sonkar, on Friday afternoon by promising to buy him toys and chocolates. Police said he took the boy to a deserted spot nearly a kilometre from his house and strangled him to death.

When Ayush did not return, his mother filed a missing person complaint at the Barra police station. Police reviewed CCTV footage showing Saxena taking the child away and returning alone. Soon afte...