An eight-year-old student was found dead under mysterious circumstances in a government-run hostel in Andhra Pradesh’s Krishna district on Tuesday.

The body of Dasari Aditya, a Class 3 student, was found in a pool of blood in a washroom of the hostel, which is meant for Backward Classes. The boy had injuries on the neck, seemingly inflicted with a sharp object.

According to the police, some students found Aditya lying dead on the floor and alerted the hostel authorities, who then informed the police.

A police officer said the boy appeared to have a knife injury on the neck. Police have shifted the body to a hospital for autopsy.

Aditya is the son of Dasari Ravi and Adilakshmi. The couple have four children, two boys and two girls, and Aditya was the youngest. Aditya and his brother Ashok are boarders at the government-run BC hostel. According to reports, Aditya’s house is 2 km from hostel.

It is yet to be ascertained why and how Aditya went upstairs from the room where he was sleeping.

Hostel watchman Nagababu told local media he was unaware why the student went upstairs in the middle of the night, as Aditya was found in a bathroom that did not have a door.

According to local media reports, the watchman was waking up the hostel students on Tuesday morning around 5 am when he learnt that Aditya was missing. Soon after, he woke up Ashok and another student to find out if Aditya had gone home. It was later that Aditya was found dead in the bathroom.

Based on a complaint from the boy’s parents, Krishna district police have registered a case of murder and investigation is underway.

Speaking to media, Krishna district Additional SP said that the murder took place in the wee hours of Tuesday.

He added, “Four special teams have been formed and we are investigating the case from all angles. We will nab the culprits behind this crime within 24-48 hours.”