The boy, whose name was withheld since he is a minor, was arrested Tuesday in Kathmandu 10 days after he confessed to having killed his mother's 37-year-old drunken lover.

In his confession before police, the boy said his father went to Pakistan about four years ago in search of a job, said the Himalayan Times daily Thursday.

In the absence of his father, his mother started having an affair with a sales agent, Indra Bahadur Ghimire, the boy told police. The affair infuriated the boy who started staying away from home and mixing with street children. The boy told police he hated his mother and had seen her sleep with Ghimire repeatedly.

"I couldn't tolerate it," the daily quoted him as saying. On Nov 19, Ghimire came to their house in the afternoon and stayed on till late in the evening, getting drunk.

As he staggered out, the boy, who was hiding outside, saw him fall down and pass out.

He picked up a rock and bashed the unconscious man's head, the boy told police.

If found guilty, the boy faces a maximum of six months in prison, the daily said.

--Indo-Asian News Service