Mumbai: The skull of a 12-year-old boy was recovered by the Mumbai Police on Tuesday, a day after his headless body was found in the Wadala area's mangroves. The boy, identified as Sandeep Yadav, had been missing for 35 days prior to his body being found. The boy had reportedly last been seen on January 28 in the company of a man identified as Bipul Sikari, another resident of Wadala. 

The boy's father, Bechai Yadav, had confronted Sikari with a few others and the accused allegedly revealed that he had handed over the boy to a transgender person. 

"Sikari was thrashed and was subsequently taken to Wadala Truck Terminus police station. A cop told him to wash the blood but Sikari fled taking advantage of the circumstances," a police official said.

A case of kidnapping was registered by the police against the absconding Sikari and search efforts were initiated. On Monday, police received reports of a headless body being found in the mangroves of the Wadala Creek area.

The boy's father identified the body as being that of Sandeep based on his clothes, footwear and the ‘kada’ he was wearing. 

On Tuesday, just 15-20 feet away from the spot where the corpse was found a day earlier, the police recovered the victim's skull.

Subsequently, police added sections 302 (Punishment for murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of the evidence of the offence) of the Indian Penal Code to the FIR and formed teams to nab Sikari.

According to the official, Sikari is a resident of West Bengal and was arrested in a murder case earlier.

He had jumped parole in the previous murder case and came to Mumbai, the official said. 

With inputs from PTI.