Imphal, October 19 2009: A man reportedly involved in slaying a five year old boy after snatching his ear-rings has been shot dead by unidentified persons at about 2.30 am today.

The innocent victim of the heinous crime has been identified as Soram Prabhakar (5) s/o Soram Mangijao of Ithai Khunou.

Mangijao ran a photostat kiosk at Kumbi Keithel.

The young boy disappeared at about half past noon yesterday.

Local people of Kumbi Keithel and surrounding areas searched for the boy till 3 pm.

But the boy could not be located.

Later at about 8.30 pm, Prabhakar was found dead beneath a grove of bamboos in an uninhibited plot belonging to one Wahengbam Manaoton at Kumbi Lai Sandangkhong.

The young boy's hands were found tied behind.

The boy had his mouth stuffed with mud and he was gagged by his own shirt.

Marks of strangling were observed on his neck.

Both his ear-lobes were torn, apparently during the process of snatching his ear-rings.

The local people soon made an intensive man-hunt of the murderer(s).

Then some Meira Paibis rounded up one suspect and questioned him.

The suspect was identified as Pukhrambam Mangoljao (22) s/o Biren of Kumbi Kangjeibung Mapal.

Speaking to media persons today, Mangoljao's father Biren said that some Meira Paibis came to his house at about 10 pm and grilled his son to disclose who killed the boy.

To this, Mangoljao said that he simply followed his friends when they took the child to Lai Sandangkhong.

Yet, he maintained that he was not involved in killing the boy.

After a brief questioning, Mangoljao was handed over to the Meira Paibis, Biren said.

However, Mangoljao was found shot dead near Khordak bridge under Kumbi police station this morning.

A piece of paper written with the words "I myself killed the child.

I accept the punishment awarded to me" was also found near the corpse.

The corpses of Prabhakar and Mangoljao have been claimed by family members after post mortem at RIMS today.