COIMBATORE: A nine-year-old boy, who was trapped inside a car, suffocated to death in Pethikuttai village in Coimbatore on Saturday. The boy, V Mukunth, was a Class 4 student.
According to police, a teacher. Manivannan, from Pollachi who works at a middle school in Pethikuttai, usually comes to school in his sedan. After work on Friday evening, he parked the car in front of the water operator, Velumani’s house, handed the key to Velumani, and left by bus.
On Saturday morning, Velumani’s son Mukunth allegedly opened the car lock and was playing inside the vehicle for which he was reprimanded by Velumani. That morning, Velumani’s wife went to work and their daughter went to school. Velumani too left for work while his mother and son stayed at home.
While Velumani’s mother was sleeping, Mukunth allegedly used the remote key from inside the house to unlock the car and entered the vehicle. The car’s central locking system is believed to have activated, trapping him inside as the doors could not be opened and suffocating him.
Manivannan, who returned from school, found Mukunth unconscious in his car. After informing Velumani, Manivannan took Mukunth to a nearby private hospital, but doctors declared him dead on arrival.
Sources said that under direct sunlight, the interior temperature may have risen sharply, and the lack of ventilation may have contributed to his death. Sirumugai police have registered a case under Section 194 of the BNS, 2023, and are investigating.