Howrah, Nov. 1: A boy who had gone missing on Diwali night with Rs 15,000 on him was found dead on the roadside in Howrah, his head partially severed from the body.

This morning, the body was identified to be that of 18-year-old Murali Shaw, son of a fruit trader staying in Howrah’s Golabari area.

Murali’s family said he left home on the night of October 29 with two friends — K. Shankar Rao, 20, and Santosh Das, 18 — and Rs 15,000 in his pocket. The three were said to have left on a bike.

When Murali did not return that night, father Dharam Deb Shaw lodged a missing complaint at the Golabari police station.

The friends, from the same area in Howrah, have been arrested and the police have started a murder case. “We’ve arrested the two as there were several inconsistencies in their statements. The body has been sent for post-mortem,” said Niraj Kumar Singh, Howrah superintendent of police.

The Rs 15,000 Murali was carrying is missing.

An investigating officer said: “Shankar claimed the three went to a bar and got drunk. While returning, a lorry hit Murali, who was the last pillion rider on the bike. When Murali fell off, the two sped away fearing police action.”

But Santosh, the police said, gave a different version. “Santosh claimed that a car hit the bike from the front and Murali was seriously injured. The inconsistencies are hard to miss,” the officer said.

Dharam Deb said that before leaving home, Murali had said he would return late at night. The student of Guru Nanak Vidyalaya used to assist his father in his fruit-selling business. “As Murali looked after my business, we didn’t object if he carried a large amount of money. We knew he was responsible enough,” the father said.

The night Dharam Deb lodged the complaint, Murali’s body was found near Howrah’s Jaiswal Hospital.