VIJAYAWADA: A five-year-old boy died after he accidentally fell into an open drain while playing near his house in Old Rajarajeswaripet under Kothapet police station limits on Thursday. The deceased was identified as Shaik Ashraf.
According to Kothapet Circle inspector A Subramanyam, the incident happened around 8 PM on Wednesday when Ashraf was playing near his house. His friends, too, were present, but unfortunately, they did not notice when the boy fell into the drain.
When Ashraf did not return home, his parents, who work at a nearby factory, began searching for him in the surrounding areas, but in vain. Later, they lodged a missing complaint with Kothapet police who rushed to the spot and began inspection.
Search operations continued on Thursday and police teams found Ashraf’s body in the drain canal. A case of accidental death was registered and further investigation is on.“Post-mortem was conducted in a government hospital, following which the body was handed over to his parents,” Subramanyam said.
On learning about the incident, Vijayawada West constituency MLA Velampalli Srinivasa Rao went to Ashraf’s house and condoled the bereaved family. He also assured them of financial assistance from the State government.
Further, he directed Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) commissioner Swapnil Dinakar Pundkar to construct a restraining wall for the outfall drain to prevent such tragedies.