A pall of gloom descended at Kattabomman street in Lakshmi Nagar, Varadharajapuram near Tambaram on wednesday after two boys - brothers, drowned in a farm well nearby, a day ago. The siblings, G Lokesh (12) and G Nitish (7), had gone for a dip inside a farm well near their house when they drowned on Tuesday evening. Their bodies were fished out later in the evening, police said.
The boys' parents, Gopinath (36) and Nadhiya (30), are casual laborers and were away at work when the incident happened. Lokesh is a class 5 student at a boarding school in Thiruvanmiyur while the younger brother was studying class 1 at a government school near their home.
Police said Lokesh who had come home for vacation took his younger brother to play in the well on Tuesday evening. Their parents, upon returning from work realised that the children were not at home and searched for them in the neighbourhood. "The shirts of the boys were found near the well after which the neighbours rushed to their aid. It seemed the boys did not know swimming and had drowned. The well was also left uncovered," a police officer said.
Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services personnel secured the bodies from the well. Police moved them to the Chromepet Government Hospital for autopsy, after which the bodies were handed over to the parents.