BENGALURU: A 14-year-old boy who had gone missing four days ago was found dead after reportedly falling into a 40-foot-deep uncovered sump belonging to the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) near Tataguni in Kaggalipura police limits. The deceased, Preetham R, was a resident of Tataguni. He had gone to his aunt Rajeshwari’s house in the vicinity along with his sister Bhavya R around 10 am on January 28 morning.
After sometime, he left his aunt’s house saying he will go back home. When Preetham’s parents Rajanikanth and Pushpalatha returned home from work around 6.30 pm, they did not find their son. After searching for him for long, Rajanikanth filed a complaint at the Kaggalipura police station the next day.
Around 5 pm on February 1, Preetham’s body was found in the sump where BWSSB had earlier taken up pipeline work on Pipeline Road, off Kanakapura Road. Locals who sensed a foul smell started checking its source and saw the body there. Talking to the media, Pushpalatha alleged that the police refused to search for the boy, saying they were busy with some bandobast work.
“The pipeline work was completed a few years ago. There were no complaints of the sump being uncovered. An inquiry will throw light on BWSSB officials and contractors who were involved in the work,” said BWSSB sources.
“Preetham had dropped out of school in class 9 and was staying at home for the last four months. Both his parents are housekeeping employees. Preetham and his sister had gone to their aunt’s house for breakfast, and Preetham’s sister stayed back.
It appears that the boy while walking back home from his aunt’s house must have not noticed the uncovered sump and fell inside. The foul smell led to his body. We are checking if there was any foul play,” said a police officer.
The body was shifted to the RR Nagar Hospital’s mortuary for the postmortem.
The Kaggalipura police registered a case.