Balasore: A man and his son were arrested on Sunday in connection with the alleged murder of a 14-year-old boy on suspicion of theft at Tentulia market in Balasore district on Saturday.The accused were identified as Santosh Behera (60) and his son Manas Behera (35). According to the complaint, the deceased, Dinesh (14), son of Radhamohan Bagsingh of Nuasahi village, had gone to Manas’s shop at Tentulia market on Friday evening to buy puffed rice.When he failed to return home, family members launched a search for him. After failing to trace him, they lodged a missing complaint at Berhampur police station. On Saturday morning, around 7.30 am, Dinesh’s body was found inside an under-construction building behind the market complex. Soon after the news spread, the boy’s family and hundreds of villagers gathered at the spot.The villagers alleged that shopkeeper Santosh and his son Manas had beaten the minor to death after accusing him of theft. They demanded that both accused be brought to the spot before allowing the body to be taken for postmortem examination.Police initially took Manas into custody and tried to pacify the agitated villagers. However, the protesters refused to relent and allegedly ransacked Manas’s shop. As tension escalated, two platoons of police force were deployed in the area.The villagers continued their protest and refused to allow the body to be taken for nearly 14-15 hours. They eventually relented and allowed the police to send it for postmortem examination.Nilagiri SDPO Nirmala Gochhayat said a case has been registered in connection with the incident and two persons had been arrested. “Investigation is underway. The situation has gradually returned to normal. We have deployed two sections of the police force, which will be withdrawn soon,” Gochhayat said.