Missing child from Kozhikode found dead in well

The body of a nine-year-old boy who went missing while playing with his friends was found in a well near the Vellayil junction in the city on Saturday morning.

The police, however, claim there is no foul play, and say the cause of death is accidental.

The body of Sameer Siyaad, a Class 3 student of Vellayil Paurasangham Lower Primary School here, was found in the well by a neighbour.

The boy was reported missing since Thursday evening. He was last seen playing outside his home along with his friends.

His family went searching for him when he failed to return home even after 7 p.m. on Thursday. However, the search proved futile.

The police have conducted an inquest on the body.

“We have been informed by the doctors who conducted the post-mortem examination that the boy died of drowning. There is no foul play,” a senior officer with the Vellayil police station said.

They said the well was located in an open ground much-frequented by children during the holidays. The well was uncovered.

The police said their investigation had revealed that children who frequented the ground were in the habit of climbing a wall near the well. They said it was possible that the child could have fallen into the well accidentally.

The police are, however, not categorical in their reply when asked why the boy’s friends had not allegedly informed his family earlier about the incident.

“It is only the boy’s family which says the child went out to play with his friends. Our questioning of his friends revealed that no one noticed him in the ground on the fateful day,” the police said.