GORAKHPUR, July 5 -- A 37-year-old jobless and debt-ridden tenant was arrested for allegedly abducting and murdering his landlord's six-year-old son in Gorakhpur's Sahjanwa town after a plan to extort Rs.2 lakh from the family to repay his debts failed, police said on Saturday. The victim, Anshuman Singh, a UKG student and a resident of Pipra Nai Colony in Sahjanwa, had gone out to buy snacks near his home on Thursday (July 2) evening but did not return, prompting his family to lodge a missing person's complaint. Police launched an intensive search operation and scanned CCTV footage from the area. According to police, the footage showed the child leaving with Kalpesh, 37, a tenant living in the victim's house who is originally from neighbouring Sant Kabir Nagar district. Investigators said the accused allegedly lured the child on the pretext of buying him golgappas before abducting and later killing him. Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Dr Kaustubh said, "The child had been missing since Thursday evening. Based on CCTV evidence and sustained questioning, the accused confessed to the crime. He has been arrested, and strict action will be taken in accordance with the law." The accused allegedly led police to the child's body, which was recovered from an abandoned room behind a locked house near the Luchi railway overbridge, around 500 metres from the victim's residence. Preliminary investigation suggests the child was strangled to death. Injury marks were found on his face and neck, though the exact cause of death will be confirmed after the post-mortem examination. Police said the accused had planned to demand a ransom of Rs.2 lakh from the victim's family to clear his debts. However, the plan failed, following which he allegedly murdered the child. A case has been registered under the relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) relating to kidnapping and murder. Police said further investigation is underway to ascertain whether anyone else was involved in the crime. HTC...