A 10-year-old boy who had been missing for three days in Dhangadhi has been found dead in a nearby forest, with police suspecting he may have been murdered.

The victim, identified as Tanuj Chaudhary of the Uttar Khaireni Freed Kamaiya Settlement in Dhangadhi Sub-Metropolitan City-17, had been missing since Wednesday evening. His body was discovered on Friday afternoon during a joint search operation carried out by police and local residents.

According to the District Police Office, the boy’s body was found in a local forest along with the bicycle he had been riding when he disappeared. Investigators also recovered blood-stained stones near the body, raising suspicions of a violent attack.

Police said the body was in a partially decomposed state when it was recovered, indicating that the child had likely been dead for some time before being found.

A police team immediately secured the area after the discovery and began collecting forensic evidence. Authorities have launched a detailed investigation and are treating the case as a suspected homicide.

Tanuj Chaudhary was a Grade 2 student at Urma Boarding School. His death has shocked the local community, while police continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident and work to identify those responsible.