15-month-old drowns in pit in Chennai

A 15-month-old boy drowned in a water-filled pit that was dug and left open at an apartment complex under construction in Pallikaranai.

Pallikaranai police sources said the victim, Vinayak, was the only child of a couple from Andhra Pradesh, Seenu and Ramana, engaged as workers at the complex under construction in Ambal Nagar (Extension), Pallikaranai.

They had given him lunch late on Saturday afternoon and put him to sleep before resuming their work.

When they returned to the workers’ quarters in the evening, their son was missing. Assuming Vinayak was playing in the vicinity, they made enquiries with fellow workers. When they were unable to trace their son, the couple panicked and started searching for the boy, along with other workers.

Vinayak was found floating in the water that was being stored in the deep pit, which was dug to install an elevator.

The police suspect the boy might have slipped and fallen into the pit.

The Pallikaranai police are further investigating.