BENGALURU: A seven-year-old boy was found drowned in an open drain (rajakaluve) at Nagadevanahalli in Kengeri on Wednesday. His footwear and a plastic mug were found near the spot and police believe that he may have gone there to attend nature’s call.
The deceased has been identified as Rakesh, son of Bhimanna and Nagamma. The family hail from Sedam in Kalaburagi district and work as daily wagers at an construction site. The boy was studying in 1st Standard.
Police said the incident occurred around 5 pm. When he did not return for long, the parents went in search of him and found his slipper and plastic mug by the edge of the drain. Police had earlier suspected that Rakesh might have been kidnapped but had, however, alerted fire and emergency personnel to search for the boy.
Fire officials fished out the body after a one-and-half hour search. As the water flow was not heavy, the body was not dragged too far away. The water depth is about 6 feet deep and the rajakaluve has no fencing. The body was shifted to RR Medical College for postmortem and Kengeri police have registered a case for further investigation.
A senior fire officer said the boy may have sat on the edge of the drain and fallen into it after losing balance. He fell head first and the body got caught in silt and plastic waste. Hence, it had not moved and could be traced soon, he said.
Muniyappa, an eyewitness said that the people were screaming near the drainage and some women were crying. “I went to see what had happened and came to know that the boy had fallen down. I immediately called fire personnel who traced the body after one hour.”
No toilets around
Speaking to Express, Bhimanna said Rakesh had come to the city two weeks ago. “He was playing with his younger brother and sister before he went to attend nature’s call. He would usually go with his mother, but on Wednesday, he left alone around 3.30pm and did not return till 5pm. There are no public toilets in the area and the labourers attend nature’s call around the drainage,” he said.