Four children, including two girls and two boys, were found dead in a luxury car at Vedanatham, about 25 km from here, on Wednesday.
They were suspected to have died of asphyxiation, trapped helplessly inside and unable to open the doors. The children apparently entered the car in a playful manner and closed the doors, the police said.
The victims — K. Esakiammal, 8, of Rajapandi Nagar, P. Aathi, 4, of MGR Nagar, A. Muthalagu, 10, of Rajapandi Nagar and S. Moses, 4, of MGR Nagar in Tuticorin — belonged to a family of casual workers of a saltpan, who had gone from here to the village to offer prayers during the annual festival at the Esakki Amman Temple.
The family, which was staying at a place near the temple since Monday evening, was in a festive mood and unaware of the fate that befell the children. The family members realised later that the children were missing and began searching for them.
It was the sister of one of the children who took them to the car parked in a nearby place, sensing they might be in it. To their shock, they found the children dead in the vehicle, the police said.
Preliminary inquiries suggested that the car was one of the four vehicles seized by a private agency on behalf of a nationalised bank after the borrowers failed to repay loans.
The Kulathur police came to know of the incident around 1.30 p.m. Wednesday.
Superintendent of Police M. Durai said that going by the statements of the family members, it was likely that the children “may have got trapped in the car at least for six hours.”
The children might have tried to open the door and cried for help but it might have gone unnoticed as the windows were sun-filmed, he said. They had vomited inside the car and were found frothing in the mouth.
Meanwhile, Tuticorin Collector M. Ravikumar, who visited the village, told The Hindu that either a security guard could have been posted or the vehicles could have been kept locked as it would have prevented the children from entering them. “We have asked for a report from the bank. I have already sent a brief report to the government.”
Experts blame it on lack of oxygenLack of oxygen is suspected to be the cause of the death, forensic experts said.
They said: “As the oxygen level decreases, the carbon dioxide level in the body increases. This condition must have led to suffocation…”
After the bodies were brought to the government hospital here, autopsy was performed by C. Manoharan, Professor, Department of Forensic Science, and S. Ganapathy, a doctor of the department.
According to a source, the blood and lung samples have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory in Tirunelveli.
Based on the forensic report, the exact cause of the deaths will be known. Meanwhile, Motor Vehicle Inspectors have been asked to inspect the vehicle, which is believed to have been parked there for over three years now.
Case filedKulathur Inspector Meenakshinathan said that based on a complaint filed by S. Antonysamy, 43, father of Muthalagu, one of victims, the police have filed a case under Section 174 of the Cr. PC.
